Book Launch: Di Balik Malaysia

Technorati tags: Farish A. Noor, Book Launch, Di Balik Malaysia: Dari Majapahit ke Putrajaya, Books

A food court is probably not the most obvious place to have a book launch. It's nowhere near as glamorous as a hotel, perhaps, and you have a lot less control over who's present, as you would a proper restaurant.

But Warung Makan Rasta, in Taman Tun Dr. Ismail (close to the Penchala Link interchange) is exactly where ZI Publications decided to hold the launch of Dr. Farish A. Noor's latest book, "Di Balik Malaysia: Dari Majapahit ke Putrajaya".

The launch was done yesterday, July 26, 2008 at Rasta, and was attended by some 50 or so people. Several people Walski expected to be there weren't, sad to say, but the launch went on without much of a hitch (apart from not starting quite on time).

So why launch the book at a food court, of all places? That gets explained later on in the post. Although somewhat familiar with Taman Tun, Walski and the Mrs. had a little bit of a merry-go-round trying to find the place. Fortunately, Walski made sure that we went there early, just in case we couldn't find the place immediately.

Warung Makan Rasta - the unconventional setting for the book launch

Unfortunately, quite typical of the Malaysian timezone, the event didn't start on time at 5pm like it was supposed to. But no matter. It gave us a chance to kick back and have a drink before the event, and a chance to say hi to Farish, who was already there when Walski arrived.

ZI Publications may not (yet) be a household name in the book publishing circles, but notwithstanding being a new player in the market, they have to-date published a few thought provoking titles, including "In Good Faith" by Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, currently Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, and also the de facto Law Minister.

And it was none other than Zaid Ibrahim who was on hand to launch Farish's book.
(more of the launch, and more pictures, in the full post)

Zaid Ibrahim, launching "Di Balik Malaysia"

Initially, the launch was supposed to have been done by Harith Iskandar, popular Malaysian comedian and celebrity. For some undisclosed reason, Harith couldn't make it, so it was Zaid Ibrahim who launched the book instead. And the choice of Zaid is not likely by chance, as the minister also wrote the foreword for the book.

Ezra Mohd Zaid, Director of ZI Publications, explained during the opening speech, why the unconventional choice for the launch. The rationale, Ezra said, was that reading should be something accessible to everyone. Picking Rasta for the launch adds a sense of surprise, in that you never know who would be there (other than the invitees), which also means being able to reach those whom would not otherwise have had the opportunity to know about the book. Makes sense, if you think about it.

And if there is one habit Malaysians need more of is the habit of reading. We simply don't read enough, in general. The Internet has, on the one hand, provided us with an infinite source of knowlege. To Walski, though, there's still something special about reading the old fashioned way - from a book. And reading a book, cover-to-cover, develops a certain amount of discipline in ourselves to read more fully and better absorb the contents contained within the text. But that's just Walski for ya.

The book itself is a translation from the English language "From Majapahit to Putrajaya - Searching for Another Malaysia" which was launched almost exactly a year ago at Silverfish Books, in Bangsar. Di Balik Malaysia, as with the original English, contains articles written by Farish Noor over the years, touching on how regional history has shaped the nation we know today as Malaysia. It's companion site, The Other Malaysia, is also where some of these articles were originally published, in addition to Malaysiakini and Kakiseni.com.

Walski will admit that he hasn't read From Majapahit to Putrajaya. However, since about 2 years now, Walski has been an avid follower of Farish Noor's writings, particularly those found on The Other Malaysia. During the launch, Farish shared with the audience some thoughts surrounding the book, and what he hopes to achieve.

Farish A. Noor speaking at the launch

Farish starts his short talk with a couple of observations. The first is, again, about reading habits. In libraries of colleges and universities (presumably in Malaysia), he's noticed that in the books assigned as reading assignments to students, the first 20 to 30 pages usually look visibly worn, sometimes with food stains. But flip the book further, and the pages appear progressively pristine towards the end, indicating that not many people read a book cover to cover. This perhaps is why Farish decided to publish a collection of articles, rather than a long treatise on a specific subject matter.

The second observation, relates to how certain historical figures have been obscured, and how for others, like Hang Tuah for instance, the image we have is only part of the entire persona. The image of Hang Tuah glorified today (by Malay ultra-politicians, no less) is usually the warrior side of this very complex persona. What has gotten lost is the fact that Hang Tuah went through a character metamorphosis, and towards the end, was more of a pacifist mystic. This, he says, is likened to watching Star Wars, but skipping The Empire Strikes Back, resulting in not fully understanding, nor appreciating the entire saga.

What Farish tries to do with the book, through the collection of articles, is to present the missing stories from our rich and complex historical past, much of which has been expeditiously and (sometimes) conveniently forgotten, for political and sometimes religious reasons. Walski, for one, is really looking forward to poring through the pages, in hopes of better understanding the lost history and narratives of this nation and it's immediate neighbors, that have progressively been obscured over the years.

And while reading the Bahasa Malaysia book may be a chore for some (Walski included), the fact that the book has been released in the national language is an important one, says Datuk Zaid Ibrahim. It's rare to even find a Bahasa Malaysia book of such intellectual challenge, available in the market. Publishing it in Bahasa Malaysia, Zaid said, makes it accessible to more people, exposing them to new ways of looking at our history, and perhaps to new ideas that come with the rediscovery.

After all, Zaid said, we as a nation, should not be afraid of "ideas". Hearing him say that about ideas may be surprising to some, being that Zaid Ibrahim belongs to UMNO. It does, however, reiterate Walski's belief that Zaid Ibrahim is truly an intellectual misfit compared to his peer ministers in the Malay nationalist party. And Walski means that as a compliment.

Also present at the launch was a crew from TV3, as well as members of various press bodies. Di Balik Malaysia: Dari Majapahit ke Putrajaya is available in major bookstores (or should be), and retails for RM 35. This is one book that Walski is truly looking forward to reading, and perhaps will do a review on, once that task is complete.

Ezra, Zaid & Farish (from L-R) signing the book cover poster

Bonus for the day: getting Farish to sign Walski's copy of the book, purchased at the launch. Farish's handwriting, however, well... suffice it to say that it rivals the illegibility of the most unreadable of medical doctor prescription scrips. But handwriting aside, the ideas conveyed by Dr. Farish A. Noor, more importantly, are something that every Malaysian should read.

In analyzing the past, Farish gives us a perspective that we seldom get, and in the process helps us, hopefully, to better understand how our history has shaped us as a nation, how we are the way we are today, and perhaps help us formulate a better path forward. Walski has come to realize this from the various articles he's read by the author over the past couple of years.

And Walski is confident that Di Balik Malaysia will not disappoint him.

~ ~ ~ o o o ~ ~ ~

Oh, and before Walski forgets, one other important thing was unveiled during the book launch, and has something to do with what Walski mentioned earlier in this post - reading.

It's a project called the Read while Waiting Project, or RWP. As Walski strongly feels that this is an important event, he will devote a post to it in the coming days. RWP is an initiative of RandomAlphabets.com, and is scheduled to occur at 3pm on August 23rd, 2008. Zain HD, one of the people behind Random Alphabets, spoke for a few minutes at the start of the launch to promote the event. A short video describing the project was also shown, which is available for viewing on YouTube.

Zain HD pitching RWP at the book launch
(click on image to learn more)

You'll be hearing more about RWP in the next few days right here at myAsylum... so stay tuned!

Click here for the full post......

New skin, same 'ol carcass...

Technorati tags: Humor, Politics, PAS, UMNO, PAMBU

This would actually be hilarious if it weren't true. And truth isn't just stranger than fiction, sometimes it's funnier, in a purely idiotic kind of way. In this case, though, it's ominous of graver things to come.

Way to go Baby Pas. Now you've got Walski really wondering what kind of threats were made when you went to City Hall. Veiled threats probably, since you folks love to put everything behind veils.

National Security? Or setting the scene for a monolithic PAS-UMNO union that can spell only one thing - Disaster. Not Disarseter (which is pretty cool in Walski's book), but the linguistically correct D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R.

From Bernama (via Rocky's Bru):

PAS Spiritual Leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat Saturday proposed the dissolution of both PAS and Umno and the setting up of a new Islam-based political party to unite the Malays and enable Islam to be the protective umbrella for all the people, including non-Muslims.

He said Islam fulfilled the objectives of all endeavours, including political struggle, and should form the basis of political parties seeking to uphold the true political struggle.

"Umno should dissolve, PAS should also dissolve. Set up another party on condition that it is based on Islam," he told reporters after opening the 37th "Muktamar" (meeting) of Kelantan PAS "Dewan Ulama" (Assembly of Muslim Scholars), here.
(source: Bernama)

And because the PAS leadership is too damn myopic in what they're aiming for, they're simply buying into the delusion that UMNO is selling them. And Walski really has to ask this question, which has been echoed across the bloggerhood: unity against what?

Ketuanan Melayu in Ketuanan Islam clothing... meet the new boss, same as the old boss... and trying to set Malaysia up to get fooled again.
(ignoring the writing on the March 8th wall, and more, in the full post)

At the end of the day, of course, this is more political rhetoric - playing one-upsmanship, with the collective Malaysian concern as ante. UMNO, desperate for their Malay demographics, offers the olive branch to PAS, who then say "yeah, okay - but it's gotta be flavored Islam". Which plays right into UMNO's hands. Why? Consider this statement, from once Emperor of Darul Toyol (via his Toyol-ness' blog, translation & emphasis by myAsylum).

Jika Melayu menjadi liberal saya percaya banyak lagi kepentingan Melayu akan dikorbankan. Apakah hanya kerana mahu menang dalam pilihan raya maka kita mahu memperjudikan nasib anak bangsa kita akan datang?

If Malays become liberal, I believe a lot of other Malay interests will be sacrificed. Is it merely because of the wish to win the elections, therefore, we want to gamble the fate of our race's future generations?

Liberal memperjuangkan kesamarataan. Kesamarataan bukan keadilan. Kesamarataan hanyalah agenda kapitalis yang tidak berhati perut yang mahu melihat yang lemah terus tertinggal dan yang kuat terus menguasai yang lemah. Mereka juga menyokong idea tiada perbezaan antara agama yang bertentangan dengan akidah orang Islam; yang jelas memperkatakan bahawa Islam adalah agama tauhid yang mendapat kedudukan istimewa di sisi Allah s.w.t.

Liberalism champions equality. Equality is not justice. Equality is merely an unconscienable capitalist agenda that wants to see the weak remain left behind, and the strong continue to control the weak. These people also support the notion that there is no difference between religions that are against the faith of Muslims, which clearly states that Islam is the only monotheistic religion that has a special position with God Almighty.

Islam sebenarnya menolak kesamarataan tetapi menegakkan keadilan, yang mana meletakkan agama Islam di tempat yang tinggi dengan membenarkan agama lain dianuti oleh umat lain.

Islam actually rejects equality but upholds justice, which places Islam on high standing, allowing other religions to be professed by others.
(source: Cetusan Dr. Mohamad Khir Toyo)

And it is this very same warped mindset that appeals to certain factions within PAS, if not the entire party. Justice does not equal equality? To quote Chris Rock - get the fuck outta here...

On the other hand, UMNO too is fast being suckered into the bottomless pit of Ketuanan Islam...

Here's a scenario that Walski thinks is likely, and in the end will lead to the demise of both UMNO and PAS:

UMNO and PAS both dissolve, and form a mega-ultra-Islam-but-Malay political party (since any other kind of partying is probably deemed haram to 'em) - let's say they call themselves PAMBU - PAkatan Melayu & Bumiputera se-Ummah. Woo-hey yippe-ka-fucking-yay! Back to past glory (since PAS has its roots in UMNO to begin with, and these folks love to glorify the past anyways). Pakatan Rakyat drops any semblance of relationship with those who cross-over to this new mega entity (the smart ones join PKR or any of the other PR parties). Meanwhile, the rest of the BN components disavow any connection to the new PAMBU (which is pretty much like the old pambu, only bigger). PAMBU rejoices that it has the critical ass mass to rule... BUT WAIT! The recently passed Anti-Hop Laws prevent such a travesty from happening, and snap elections are called. Pakatan Rakyat win big, both at the Federal and State levels, and PAS, UMNO and PAMBU are relegated to the footnotes of Malaysian political history.

It could happen. Darwinian natural selection, so to speak.

Especially if these politicos refuse to read the writing on the wall, spray painted in bright neon colors, as to what was being rejected on March 8th. Among other things, it was race-based politics. And don't forget that PAS had to tone down its Islam über alles rhetoric to be acceptable to all Malaysians.

And when you peel the veneer off this new found mission of religion-based politics, what you get is the same rotting political carcass that many Malaysians rejected in GE 2008. It's the same ketuanan mindset at play.

The new boss, same as the old boss - and Walski won't be fooled again.

Click here for the full post......

HENN: Inul Ban Success Only a First Step

Technorati tags: Humor, Satire, HENN, PAS Youth, Inul Daratista, Entertainment Ban

PAS Youth Issues New Entertainment Guidelines
myAsylum has an exclusive scoop on proposed guidelines to protect Malaysians from any semblance of excitement and fun - reporting straight from Hell, and soon-to-be Hell-on-Earth, Malaysia. Another episode in the continuing series from the Hell-on-Earth News Network (HENN)

Ecstatic over their success in protecting Malaysian youth from the evils of dangdut and Inul Daratista, and their support for Civil Service promotions based on piety (as opposed to capability), PAS Youth (aka Baby PAS) has now plans to issue new guidelines to protect Malaysians at large from any unnecessary fun and enjoyment.

A secret communiqué intercepted by myAsylum's CRAP (Cybernetic Remote Autonomous Pararoaches) recently revealed grandiose plans to save Malaysians from the evils of entertainment, particularly music, or anything deemed to be fun (which naturally leads to moral decay). Among these plans, the communiqué revealed, includes new auditorium designs, and a stricter dress code for artistes, should they be deemed "allowable".

Also revealed was a plan to prohibit any form of non-Halal entertainment to Malaysia, the first success being the prevention of the evil Inul Daratista from performing anywhere on Malaysian soil. HENN anticipates future protests and attempts to ban any foreign artistes that do not bow down to PAS Youths' guidelines. HENN's guess is that the next victim is likely to be Avril Lavigne, who's scheduled to perform in Malaysia on August 29.

To kick start their campaign, PAS Youth also plans to bring a well-known one-hit wonder rock band from the land of their inspiration, Afghanistan.
(blue burkas, Malaysia's future national costume, and more, in the full post)

A section of the secret document also disclosed guidelines for sex-segregated concert auditoriums, burka dresscode, and a list of acts to be put on a proposed banned-forever list. The list itself, however, was not included - it is presumed that the list has yet to be put together, but is believed that it will include any and every music act deemed to have a potential to cause Malaysians any enjoyment.

The PAS-friendly concert auditorium would essentially consist of two hermetically sealed spaces, one each for males and females. The traditional curtain separation techniques, the document stated, still allowed for the sexes to be within too uncomfortable a proximity. Acts consisting of both male and female performers would also be segregated.

Also revealed were plans to promote the Burka as the new Malaysian national dress. Colors permitted would be limited to anything drab, as unnecessary coloration is believed to generally lead to social ills. Included in the list of acceptabe colors is the drab green, the favored color of PAS.

Interestingly enough, one of the plans stated in the secret document was to also prohibit well-known foreign plays from being performed. One play, mentioned explicitly, was Cats, which should be prohibited as it promoted undesirable inter-species interaction, and would mislead Muslim youth into believing that animals have intelligence and feelings. The play also promoted illicit relationship between male and female pet animals, and would cause cat owners to allow their pets to be promiscous, the communiqué stated.

Another interesting footnote HENN found in the communiqué was the suggestion that everything enjoyable leads to moral decay, and therefore must necessarily be prohibited. A boring life in this world, the secret document suggested, would be rewarded with an even more boring eternity in the next world, something which every member of PAS Youth should strive for.

HENN did not bother to contact Baby PAS for comment, since their actions pretty much speak loudly for themselves. PAS gained much support from the Malaysian people in last March's general elections. Political analysts reckon that it's now payback time.

HENN will keep a close ear on any further boring developments pertaining to this communiqué, and other Baby PAS nay-saying actions in the future.
(© 2008 - Hell-on-Earth News Network)

Click here for the full post......

Nico Resurrected

Technorati tags: Humor, KL PAC, KL Sing Song 08, Panda Head Curry?, Nico

The following is a super-duper special communiqué from Lord Panda, ruler of all he models, which sort of (kind of) explains what Walski was rambling about in a previous post (some additional links, and minor grammatical disarseter recovery by myAsylum).

Woo hey kiddies!!!

We had a great time this Sunday, 20th July at the KL Performing Arts Center for “Panda Head Curry? and Friends”, AKA, KL Sing Song 2008.

Nico - specially resurrected to jam with PHC?

We were very fortunate to be joined by a VERY old and dear friend of mine, Nico. Nico sort of gained notoriety when Andy Warhol “forced” her upon the Velvet Underground in a recording project that yielded often covered and immortal songs like “All Tomorrow's Parties” and “I’ll Be Your Mirror”. I met her in 1984 when I was going to university in Syracuse, NY. At that time Mo Tucker (the Velvet’s drummer) lived in Syracuse and Nico would often take a break from the insanity of New York City, drive up and enjoy serenity of the Adirondack Mountains. Mo was a frequent visitor to the Orange Grove, a live music bar on Wescott Street where I used to perform with my college band punk “The Bastard Sons of Sid”. Nico would often join us, jam and roll a couple. We became friends, she did some vocals on a couple of our songs, and she’d crash over in our apartment occasionally.

(continuing with Nico, Panda Head Curry?, and more tall tales, in the full post)

1986-88 was a really screwed up period for her. She had run into some trouble and had to lie low. A “disappearing act” was staged while she was vacationing in Ibiza with her son. After I graduated university in 1988, we lost touch (she literally dropped off the face of the earth). I got a letter from her in 1991, after I’d returned to Malaysia. She was living in Heidelberg, Germany at that time. She came over to Malaysia a few times and travelled to Austin, Texas to attend wedding in 1994. She’s visited Malaysia a few times in the past to escape the cold European winters. This year, she decided to take her summer vacation in Malaysia and we all had a great time in Langkawi a week before the KL Sing Song 2008.

For a lark I asked her if she’d consider doing a song or two with Panda Head Curry?...and she agreed. She came over to KLPAC a few hours before the gig, went through one of our songs “Finland People” and joined us on stage. It was almost like old times again.

No stolen DNA was involved in this resurrection of Nico

For those of you who missed the show, here’s some [more] pictures: http://whoopdidoohoo.blogspot.com/.

Malaysian auteur, Chi Too, decided to document the entire day with Panda Head Curry?. I assume he should be releasing this landmark document shortly.

In addition to Nico, our buddy Walski69 helped us out by being “Mattress-y” a walking sodomite mattress. I don’t seem to have any pix of the Mattress-y, if you have any, please post them up.

Woo hey!

Lord Panda.

Oh, as to the question raised by Lord Panda, about the documentation of PHC? last Sunday by Chi Too, word in the bloggerhood has it that yes, he will be releasing a film documentary, tentatively titled "Jangan Main Bontot: The Adventures of Panda Head Curry?" (source: Next Movies Cinemas). Stay tuned to myAsylum - Walski will let y'all know once the film is released.

Also, if you are wondering whether or not to check out the other pictures taken surrounding the Panda Head Curry? performance experience at KL Sing Song 2008, just to let you know that there are pictures of Walski in the flesh (pre-Mattress-y). So, if you've always wondered what Walski looks like, here's your golden opportunity.

Maybe one day Walski will come out of the anonymity closet, and all this secrecy will be moot... but it's still not that blogger-friendly a nation yet, so that day will have to wait. For now.

Click here for the full post......

Return from being AWOL

Technorati tags: Humor, Mattress-y, KL PAC, KL Sing Song 08, Panda Head Curry?

Yes, Walski decided to disappear again this week.

Actually he was abducted by Michael Jackson, who then hypnotized Walski into believing that he was a mattress, whose mission was to gather as much DNA from as many people as possible.

Hypnotized by Michael Jackson, Walski runs amuck at KL PAC... as a mattress

But he's back. As Walski, not as a mattress.
(adventures of Mattress-y, and more, in the full post)

Okay, so Michael Jackson had as much to do with the episode, as freeze-dried particles of coffee know they're trapped in a bottle of Nescafe. In actual fact, Panda Head Curry? was to blame...

But more about that in a separate post. Meanwhile, Walski has had to undergo a week's worth of Mattress Rehabilitation (aka "work"), which accounts for his extended absence from the bloggerhood.

It was, however, kinda fun being a mattress, terrorizing the audience at the recent KL Sing Song 2008, attempting to collect as much DNA from the audience as legally (and hygenically) possible. Suffice it to say, the mattress skin was shed after Sunday afternoon - said 'skin' probably still lurking somewhere at KL PAC.

Speaking of which, if any of you happened to be there last Sunday afternoon, and happened to snap more evidence of Mattress-y running amuck at Pentas 2, kindly e-mail the photos to Walski. He's compiling evidence in a pending uncivilized lawsuit against Panda Head Curry?.

The charge? Conspiracy to turn Walski into bedroom furniture cum DNA receptacle. When e-mailing the evidence, do let Walski know if you'd be willing to testify as well... statutory declarations also accepted, but probably somewhat overkill.

Since it's the season for lawsuits, criminal defamation, and all that, ya know...

Click here for the full post......

Worrying one's Ass off...

Technorati tags: Humor, Ass, Anecdote

Since we're on the subject of Public Opinion, Walski thought he should share this amusing anecdote with you all. It was sent to him by a friend earlier today - rather by coincidence, Walski should add.

The Pastor's Ass

The pastor entered his donkey in a race and it won.

The pastor was so pleased with the donkey that he entered it in the Race again, and it won again.

The local paper read: PASTOR'S ASS OUT FRONT.

The Bishop was so upset with this kind of publicity that he ordered the pastor not to enter the donkey in another race.

The next day, the local paper headline read: BISHOP SCRATCHES PASTOR'S ASS.

(more ass, bishops, pastors, and even nuns, in the full post)

This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the pastor to get rid of the donkey.

The pastor decided to give it to a nun in a nearby convent.

The local paper, hearing of the news, posted the following headline the next day: NUN HAS BEST ASS IN TOWN.

The bishop fainted.

He informed the nun that she would have to get rid of the donkey, so she sold it to a farmer for $10.

The next day the paper read: NUN SELLS ASS FOR $10.

This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the nun to buy back the donkey and lead it to the plains where it could run wild.

The next day the headlines read: NUN ANNOUNCES HER ASS IS WILD AND FREE.

The bishop was buried the next day.

The moral of the story is .. . . being concerned about public opinion can bring you much grief and misery - even shorten your life..

So be yourself and enjoy life.

Stop worrying about everyone else's ass and you'll be a lot happier and live longer!

Not sure where this little anecdote originated from, but it's good advice all the same, if you ask Walski, which the government, too, could take heed of. What with the worry and talk about who's doing whose ass and all that...

Click here for the full post......

Poll Position: Court of Public Opinion

Technorati tags: Straw Poll, Politics, Court of Public Opinion, Malaysia

This is essentially a 2-in-1 poll result posting, covering the last two opinion polls conducted by myAsylum. In fact, Walski has just unleashed another, which should be visible by the time this is posted.

All three, in effect, have one thing in common - public opinion on current issues. And the gist of it is that whether or not something is true, the public will believe what they want to believe, and the opinion of the public then forms the collective "truth" of the matter.

The first poll, which ran between June 6 and June 22, asked for an opinion about how well - or otherwise - the government was managing the economy.

Poll Position #1 - most think the economy isn't managed well

In this case, the result was well within the parameters of Walski's expectations. About 18% felt that that the government could do better, while the remainder of the respondents thought that the government was handling the economy badly. Granted the sample size was pretty small, but Walski thinks that this is probably an accurate gauge of how the public feels.

And then there's the recently concluded poll - about Najib and the statutory declarations.
(Najib, the SD's, and more, in the full post)

Poll Position #2 - most believe that Najib is somehow involved

Also not a major surprise. The public has their doubts about Najib's non-involvement. Whether or not he is actually involved is pretty much secondary. The Court of Public Opinion has already passed judgement. And such a judgement on someone who is destined to be the next PM is, well, shall we say, of grave concern.

Which brings us to the next poll, which Walski has just started this morning (see the sidebar) - is the Royal Malaysian Police impartial enough to conduct an honest investigation? As there are a number of politically-driven investigations under way, it will be interesting to find out what the Court of Public Opinion has to say.

Walski can guess what the result of this poll will show, but will keep this to himself for now. You know, so as not to taint the results, so to speak.

But herein lies the crux - no matter what the government does, positively or otherwise, the tsunami wave that struck on March 8th this year continues to build momentum, it would seem. And it also seems like the government isn't doing itself any favors, tactically tripping over itself again and again since then. The recent overreaction by the Minister of Internal Security (or whatever his portfolio is called these days) in mobilizing the police to protect the citizens of Klang Valley from getting to work on time, is a prime example.

Idiotic moves like this further erodes the credibility of the government of the day. At least in the Court of Public Opinion. But it's exactly there where credibility counts the most, is it not?

Click here for the full post......

The Sweet and The Sickening

Technorati tags: Sarcasm, Police, Baklava, Balaclava, Anwar Ibrahim

Baklava - one of planet Earth's tastiest desserts
(picture from About.com)

This is a slice of Baklava - an uber delicious and sweet Mediterranean snack consisting of honey, nuts and sweetness-drenched multi-layered pastry. Supposedly, it actually originates from Turkey, although one can find it pretty much throughout the Mediterranean region, each area with its local variant.

And it is probably Walski's hands-down favorite desserts in the whole wide expanse of planet Earth. Many desserts have tried to dethrone the mighty Baklava's reign on Walski's palate - and just about all have failed.

Walski thinks that Baklava is sickeningly delicious. Which is a good thing. Try to gobble up a whole plate of it at one sitting, and you'll know why.
(the entirely sickening, and more, in the full post)

On the other hand, you have the image of a policeman donning something called a balaclava. Similar spelling, and one can easily mispronounce it the same as the sickeningly sweet dessert.

Except that there's absolutely nothing sweet about the balaclava - only sickening, to Walski. Just ask Nurul Izzah, MP and daughter of Anwar Ibrahim (emphasis by myAsylum):

Dad was arrested by the cops whilst on his way to the IPK to give his statement. The cops gave till 2pm for dad to report but still arrested him before the deadline. Dad was on his way back home to have lunch in Bukit Segambut, and then head to the IPK but the cops blocked off the road and arrested him like a criminal. And the cops who arrested him were Special Squad cops with balaclavas!!! Is that necessary!!!
(source: Nurul Izzah Anwar)

Reports of Anwar being manhandled during the arrest do not surprise Walski one single bit. Having personally witnessed the brutality of these police goons in balaclavas, Walski will tell you straight off that there's no love lost for these bastards. Allow him tell you a story.

Many years ago in the 1990's, in a Damansara Heights pub called Street Connection, these Special Action Force guys (Unit Tindakan Khas, or UTK), stormed into the club armed with shotguns, machine guns and an assortment of other equally lethal firearms, a few of them having their balaclavas on. They were there supposedly to apprehend members of the Bentong Kali gang. A musician friend of Walski's was at the time playing on the small stage and was taken by surprise by the storming in of the UTK. The musician was yanked (literally) off the stage, thrown to the floor, and subsequently knocked out cold, courtesy of a blow to the side of his face. His crime? Not moving fast enough for the UTK's liking.

Shotgun Butt 1 - Musician 0.

The musician, fortunately, did not suffer any lasting injuries, as far as Walski knows, and continues to perform to this day. Walski found out later that the suspects had already been apprehended before the UTK even stormed into the pub. And for what? To terrorize for fun? In the presence of these goons, you're a criminal unless proven otherwise. Frequently, you find yourself on the wrong side of a firearm of some variety.

Shoot first, then maybe ask later.

Suffice it to say, Walski has a very low opinion of these legalized Malaysian gangsters. If anyone behaves, on duty, like they are above the law - nay, like there is NO law - it's these UTK brutes. It probably takes a person of absolutely no conscience whatsoever to be one of them.

To put things into context, the pub Walski mentioned used to be in the small block of shoplots just around the corner from where the Blog House is, along Lorong Setiabistari 2. To put the UTK into context, one of their members currently stands accused for the brutal and grissly murder of Altantuya.

The mere mention of balaclavas takes Walski's mind back to that very night in Damansara Heights. It makes him wonder sometimes what kind of sick sadist hides behind the balaclava, law on their side, and frequently behaving like they're above it. They're violent automatons who follow orders, to put it simply. If asked to blow the head off a child with a sawn-off shotgun, they'd probably do it without hesitation. Maybe even ask, "Into how many pieces?".

Walski really wonders sometimes how they sleep at night. One thing he's quite sure of, though - these goons in balaclavas don't have sweet dreams of baklava...

Click here for the full post......

The Oily Slopes of Debate

Technorati tags: Malaysia, Debate, Anwar Ibrahim, Shabery Cheek, Fuel Price

Walski's in absentia apology forenote: Yes, he's been away. Apologies for the long absence, but between the trip to Jakarta, and clearing the backlog of work after coming back - not to mention the tiredness of both - this blog hasn't been updated for well over a week. Walski still owes you the Jakarta trip report, but for now, something completely different. And probably more pressing.

Walski's untimeliness apology forenote: The events that have transpired today will probably have made the discussion about last night's debate pretty moot. This post was supposed to have been out earlier today, but because of Walski's schedule and the crap-disguised-as-broadband that his office has for a network, it's only now that Walski can post this, from home.

Debate.

Mirriam-Webster defines it as:

a contention by words or arguments, as
a) the formal discussion of a motion before a deliberative body according to the rules of parliamentary procedure
b) a regulated discussion of a proposition between two matched sides

As you know, last night the nation was given the opportunity to watch something rather unprecedented - a debate, televised live, between an opposition politician and a minister from the ruling party, BN.

The topic was a very current one, surrounding the recent massive hike in fuel prices - "Form Government Today, Fuel Price Down Tomorrow".

Anwar Ibrahim vs. Shabery Cheek, the Minister of Information. For those of you who may have missed it, it is available in its entirety (albeit in 8 parts) via YouTube. Walski has taken the liberty of including the entire hour in the full post.

Originally, Anwar had challenged either the PM or his deputy to a debate. Instead, they sent Shabery. Walski managed to watch the entire thing via YouTube, and came to one conclusion - Shabery was not there to orate. He was sent there primarily to attack Anwar, using the issue of fuel price as a platform.

Malaysiakini, as a follow up to the debate, had set up an opinion poll to gauge what the viewers thought, and in particular, between Shabery and Anwar, who came out tops. The results were released this afternoon, and are not the least bit surprising.

The essence of debate, to Walski, is successfully presenting your opinion and arguments surrounding the topic being debated. Several times during the debate, Shabery used the opportunity to attack Anwar personally. Anwar, a more seasoned politician, did well to fend those attacks, and even at times counterpunch Shabery with a few jabs of his own.

The one-liner quickie summary: Shabery went to the debate with an agenda and a gameplan of undermining Anwar. Anwar, on the other hand, was there to debate.
(the full debate, and more, in the full post)

But hey... don't take Walski's word for it. Here is the full debate, in eight parts, via YouTube. If you have not yet watched it, you really should do so, then make your own judgement.

Part 1 (of 8)

Part 2 (of 8)

Part 3 (of 8)

Part 4 (of 8)

Part 5 (of 8)

Part 6 (of 8)

Part 7 (of 8)

Part 8 (of 8)

And there you have it - an hour of historic television. Well, in the Malaysian context anyways. Sister in arms, Marina M., was one of the first to post a review of the debate last night. In her words, she felt that "Anwar started off shakily but soon warmed up. While Shabery started off smooth and then got shaky".

Walski will have to admit that he's not a big fan of Anwar Ibrahim. But last night's debate made one thing clear. While Anwar was a spokesperson for Pakatan Rakyat, presenting the coalition's stand with greater substance and conviction compared to his opponent, Shabery presence was more in a role of bumbling hitman. And if Shabery were to be taken as representative of BN/UMNO, then from a perception point of view, Walski must say that the government is absolutely bankrupt of ideas, resorting instead to personal attacks on their opponents, rather than offering anything substantiative.

Which leads us to this other definition of debate - "de stuff you put on de hook to catch de fish with".

In which case, Shabery (and by proxy, BN/UMNO) bought it - hook, line and sinker...

Click here for the full post......

City of Jakarta

Technorati tags: Travels, Jakarta, City Of Jakarta

Just a quickie post to let you folks know that myAsylum will most likely not be getting updated much this week.

No, Walski's not on a blog strike. Actually, he's out of the country - for work, and not because he's had just about enough of Malaysia (of which he actually has just had about enough). Unfortunately, the internet access is not as accessible as he'd like it to be. Hence the potentially no-update week for this blog, Walski predicts.

Walski is in Jakarta this week, for a few meetings supporting the Indonesia operations of the company he works for.

The KLM aircraft "City of Jakarta", which Walski took to get to...
Where else? Jakarta!

Quite by coincidence, the KLM Boeing 747-400 he took to get here was a plane named City of Jakarta. Did you know that it's cheaper to fly KLM to Jakarta than it is to fly to East Malaysia on MAS? Strange, ain't it?

This is Walski's first time in this humungous city - and boy is it big! Walski was told that the population in Jakarta is something like 20 million people, or something crazy like that. Not quite as populous as Shanghai, though (27 million or so), but pretty damn big nevertheless.

He'll be taking pictures along the way, naturally, but the updates may not be forthcoming. Not this week anyways... there's work to be done, and unfortunately, Walski can't get Internet access in the hotel room. Hopefully there'll be some play time on this visit, too... but if not, there's always next time. With the Indonesia operations set up, Walski will probably be coming over more often.

So, don't worry... it's just a short hiatus - and it's actually kind of nice not to be full frontal with the crap that's happening at home for a few days...

But if Walski does get a chance to update, it'll be a bonus... Peace, folks!
(that's it, you've reached the end of the full post)

Click here for the full post......

BMY 2008

Technorati tags: Humor, Politics, Political Sodomy, Tahun Meliwat Malaysia

Rocky's had enough, he says. Don't blame him one single bit.

Sister-in-arms Marina says that she's had enough, too. Don't blame her either, truth be told.

2008 - Tahun Meliwat Malaysia

The idea of Tahun Meliwat Malaysia (Bugger Malaysia Year), that YB Jeff thinks this year has become, is actually something Walski had thought about just over a year ago, in a post called Heads You Win, Tails I Lose. You see, back then it was the fact that forces of conservatism were driving Malaysia back to the dark ages, it seemed. Every which way, it felt like our progressive outlook was being reamed in the ass.

Then March 8th came along, religious fervor was put on the back-burner, and it looked like things were finally going to look up. At least from the political point of view. Malaysia spoke out on that day - and what she said, in a nutshell, was that enough was enough with race based politics. There are real issues we are facing as a nation, and said issues don't give a rat's ass what color skin you are, or whom/what you pray to.

Well, sadly the politicking didn't stop with March 8th. In fact, since then, there's been so much fucking politicking from all sides, that quite frankly, even Walski's gotten fed up, truth be told.

Sure, the flying-fuck circus (via Magick River) that the political arena has become provides for a lot of great material to poke fun at. But "funny" doesn't solve national problems. At least, not in this time-space continuum.
(reaming us all up the ass, and more, in the full post)

It has almost become like a game show come to life - "Who wants to be a Statutory Declarer?" Each side of the political fence trying hard to ream each other up the ass. Figuratively, and literally.

And the word "liwat" has now become a household joke, as YB Jeff mentioned. So-to-you, so-to-me. Condoms and Crisco not included.

In the end, the ones getting the reaming are you and Walski.

To the politicians in BN - UMNO in particular - accept the fact that what you stand for may no longer be in the best interest of the nation. Trying to make ends meet is a problem that afflicts every single Malaysian, regardless of race or creed. March 8th proclaimed that loud 'n clear. For those elected and are now holding public office - start doing your fucking job, and quit with the politicking and power broking.

Want to ward off the risk that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) poses? Then do your fucking job, and show that you are a competent government. The standard operating procedure of bush-whacking the people with ad hoc policies for the sake of political expediency must stop. Most of all, stop punishing the Malaysians who did not vote for you. You had it coming, so live with the fact.

As things stand, Walski's sick and tired of your incompetence, and hiding behind beligerant playground-bully behavior - and possibly a large chunk of the Malaysian populace, as well.

To those elected BN politicians who are thinking of crossing over - do us all a favor: just fucking jump ship, already. But at the same time, have the political integrity and quit as Member of Parliament, and in doing so, force a by-election. It's only fair to the people who voted you in. Why? Because only by doing that will you know whether they voted for you as a competent representative in Parliament, and what you really stand for, or the party whose ticket you ran on, standing for what you were forced to claim you stood for.

And to the PR policians, elected or otherwise - yes, March 8 was the nation saying that change is what was sorely needed. And Walski does sympathize with the PR states that are being plagued with politically-motivated punitive rewards. But there is no super-expressway to Putrajaya. You've built an unprecedented momentum based on change. Unprecedented, because peaceful change is usually not something that can be achieved overnight. And you've done an excellent job thus far - don't fuck it all up by taking the lowdown road of mud and dirt.

In the meantime, while the politicians continue with their mudraking, shit-slinging and polly-want-a-cracker-ticking, the people will remember 2008, post March 8, as Tahun Meliwat Malaysia - where the joy of politics lies not in the service a politician is supposed to deliver, but in the throes of vicious politicking that you fucktards seem to enjoy so much.

Wake the fuck up and smell the real sodomy... the one the politicians are inflicting upon the people of Malaysia.

Click here for the full post......

One Hundred Days

Technorati tags: Events, All Blogs, Politics, Government, GE2008

Walski's Sticky Post explanatory note: This post is what's called a "sticky post". What that means is that it will remain on top of the stack of posts until a predefined date, which in this case is June 28th, 2008. Newer posts will appear after this one.

Update (June 26, 2008): The event has been postponed to the following Saturday, July 5th, 2008, due to a clash with another important event, the GMI Anti-ISA Rally at Stadium Melawati, Shah Alam.

Original Post:
It's been just about 100 days since March 8th, 2008. That's the 12th General Election, in case you forgot. And based on what's been reported in the mainstream media, it's been a hundred days of politicking, politicking, and then, for good measure, politicking. Or at least, that's what the mainstream media impression.

Click on the image for details (via Rocky's Bru)

All Blogs has put together a celebration - of sorts - of the end of the 100 days. The honeymoon, as they say, is over. It should have been over a lot sooner, but 100 days is usually the symbolic end. And it's time to take a snapshot of what exactly has been achieved in those one hundred days.

Apart from the apparent politicking-in-overdrive, that is.
(event details, and more in the full post)

The End of 100 Days Celebration will be attended by politicians, who will be given an opportunity to tell their side of the story. Which politicians exactly, Walski doesn't know. Yet. But when he does, he'll cascade the information.

What: Celebrating 100 Days with our elected "Yang Berkhidmat"
Where: Blog House, 66 Lorong Setiabistari 2, Bukit Damansara
When: Saturday June 28 July 5, 2008 - 8pm

Please note that there is a cover charge of RM 30 for the event, to take care of food, beverage and other event expenses. Registration/payment for the event can be made to Yew Wei Keat (All Blogs treasurer), via his Maybank account (a/c no. 514011899314). You can contact him at +60 12 2138257 for details.

Walski will update this post as and when more details are available. Stay tuned...

Click here for the full post......

I Swear

Technorati tags: Humor, Statutory Declaration, I Swear, Ice Wear

I Swear:
that today is July 5th, as Microsoft Outlook is my witness (except in certain time zones behind GMT where it's still yesterday - but Walski has no control over that).

I Swear:
by the moon and the stars in the sky, that the song was not written by All-4-One - they only sang it.

Ice Wear:
is not a line of Eskimo winter fashion.

I Swear:
that nobody forced me to write any of this crap. Both the first time, and the subsequent edit(s).
(I Swear some more, in the full post)

I Swear:
that everything in the first Statutory Declaration is true.

I Swear:
that everything in the second Statutory Declaration is also true.

Ice Wear:
is a fashion line to keep Red Herrings fresh and cool...

I Swear:
You lousy, motherfuckin', asswipe, dickhead, lyin' fuckwads... can one of you fucktards tell the damn truth, for once?

Meanwhile, back on planet reality, Raja Petra Kamaruddin, declarer of the SD that started it all, has been called to the Sentul police station (via Malaysiakini) to have his statement (and who knows what else) taken. Also, Susan Loone reports that P. Balasubramaniam's whereabouts is currently unknown, and that his family is about to lodge a missing persons report.

Walski's inpirational credit footnote: Walski swears that the declarations made here have been inspired by Susan Loone, Scott's BUUUUURRRRNING HOT blog, and I Can Haz Cheeseburger?. Oh, and of course, the looney tunes politicians and associated events that have made this past week one big fucking circus...

Click here for the full post......

Duressed? Defused? Confused!!

Technorati tags: Humor, Politics, P. Balasubramaniam, Statutory Declaration, Altantuya

It just gets weirder and weirder... new story, and a new lawyer.

PI Bala with his new lawyer friend (via The Star)

Both online versions of The Star and NST carried the retraction of the earlier statutory declaration by the declarer, private eye P. Balasubramaniam, communicated through his medium... err, his lawyer. Not the same lawyer he was with yesterday, but a new lawyer!

What the two MSM channels did not include were the other details, as disclosed by the earlier lawyer. In fact no mention of a lawyer change, either.

Malaysiakini, on the other hand, has more details.
(non-mainstream duress, and more, in the full post)

Also with the PI this morning was a new lawyer. His other lawyer, Americk Sidhu, who was with him yesterday was unaware of the latest development.

Americk (right) told Malaysiakini that Balasubramaniam received a phone call from the police soon after his press conference yesterday to report to the Brickfields police station.

He said that he last saw Balasubramaniam at 4.45pm after dropping off his client at the police station.
(source: Malaysiakini - subscription required)

Call from the police? Soon after the press conference? What gives?

Seems to Walski that rather than defusing the explosiveness, we now have possible police interference... Confused?

You should be. Walski's equally confused as to why Mr. P. Eye didn't bring his lawyer with him. Americk Sidhu, that is - the original one. And according to Sidhu, the first SD was made voluntarily.

For anyone interested in what the revised statutory declaration says, it's available via Malaysiakini, or a PDF copy, which Walski created. If you're even bothered, that is. Essentially, all the parts concerning the Deputy Prime Minister have been retracted.

After a word from the police, that is. A bit too convenient, if you ask Walski. But then again, he is rather cynical when shit like this happens.

Oh, and Walski's favorite word for the day: duress. Kinda like Durex, but nowhere near as airtight, which causes any credibility to slowly ooze out until one is left with a feeling that can only be described as deflated...

Click here for the full post......

Truth and unTruth

Technorati tags: Opinion Poll, Najib Abdul Razak, Altantuya, Politics, Truth, unTruth

First things first - Walski's decided to start a new poll. It's in the usual location. Do you think the man's involved, somehow?

Now here's why Walski's wondering.

Walski's observed that the man can't seem to keep his stories straight of late. Let's do a quick recap.

May 31st: There will not be a fuel price increase, according to Najib.
June 4th: We found out otherwise.

And then, more recently,

June 30th:
Najib said the picture was taken three months ago when Mohd Saiful went to his office to apply a for government scholarship.

“The accuser (Mohd Saiful) met with my officer (Khairil Anas) because he wanted to apply for a scholarship from the Government. The picture was taken three months ago." (via The Star)

July 7th:
In a new twist, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today admitted that he met Saiful Bukhari Azlan a few days before the latter lodged a police report against Anwar Ibrahim for alleged sodomy. (via Malaysiakini)

You would have thought that if you could remember that a picture was taken 3 months ago, an important detail like Saiful meeting him (only a few days ago) would have been disclosed earlier on, right? And not disclosed as an "Oh, by the way" manner when incriminating information about you surfaces...

Truth, or unTruth?
(it's difficult to keep consistent unTruths, and more, in the full post)

Because, God forbid, that a politician should actually lie. Uh-uh... politicians don't lie. They just tell varying degrees of unTruths. It's the politician's way, so to speak.

But seriously, it begs the question as to what else is Najib not telling us.

And let's not even start to wonder the supposed role that the IGP and AG have played in possibly suppressing evidence in a murder trial. If the allegations in the statutory declaration are true, of course.

A funny thing about unTruths is that it takes a lot of effort and mental stamina to keep 'em consistent all the time. One slip, and they tend to come back 'n bite you. Hard.

It just amazes Walski how some people can even sleep at night...

Click here for the full post......

C-4-Checkmate

Technorati tags: Politics, Anwar Ibrahim, Najib Abdul Razak, Altantuya, Obstruction Of Justice, Musa Hassan, Abdul Gani Patail

C4, RDX-ically speaking, is explosive. And explosive is the only way Walski can describe the statutory declaration (SD) of one private-eye named P. Balasubramaniam.

You can read the full SD at blogger buddy Howsy's The Sensintrovert, or download a PDF of it (obtained from Malaysiakini).

To Walski, it scores 55 on the Richter scale. Not only because the SD implicates Deputy PM Najib Abdul Razak, but because of the other shit that's also implied.
(the jigsaw pieces start to fall into place, and more, in the full post)

The People's Parliament was the first to hint at this explosive news yesterday, and Haris has reported on the Anwar Ibrahim press conference during which the SD was disclosed, here and here.

Here's Walski's take on the whole thing, looking at a slightly bigger picture.

Remember the police report filed by Anwar Ibrahim, alleging that current Inspector General of Police (IGP) Musa Hassan, and Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail had fabricated evidence during Anwar's trial 10 years ago (via Malaysiakini, subscription required)?

Well, guess what? The same two individuals are implicated in the latest SD by P. Balasubramaniam. Evidence fabrication seems to be almost like a cottage industry these days, eh?

And taking all this into perspective, doesn't the fact that Gani Patail ordered the ACA to close the case on Musa Hassan, just about a year ago, seem kinda fishy?

If the nation's top cop, and top attorney, resort to such illegal measures, who the fuck can you trust anymore? Don't know about you, but that's a pretty scary thought to Walski. And for what? To protect certain individuals within the ruling Barisan Nasional.

Furthermore, reports surfaced yesterday that some Sabah and Sarawak BN MPs suspect that the Special Branch - you know, police disguised as shrubbery - are watching their every move. The police, Walski thought, were part of the Government machinery, and therefore non-partisan. In theory, anyway.

So, the question we should ask is, if the SD and all other allegations are true, why are the police at BN's beck and call?

Here's another scary thing: what was one of the first public statements made by the IGP after the Anwar sodomy allegations, and subsequently Anwar's police report? That he (the IGP) is considering bringing in the military to help with keeping the peace. That, my friends, is a few cereal flakes short of martial law. Scary shit, if you ask Walski.

These charges of collusion between the police, the AG's office, and high-ranking politicians boils down to one simple thing - that corruption of the highest magnitude is alive and well. And justice? Just another 7-letter word that means diddley squat.

In any case, it will be interesting to see how Najib squirms his way out of this one. So, too, the IGP and AG.

They say that what goes around, comes around... in which case, Lady Justice looks like she's coming back around the mountain, double-barrel shot-guns blazing...

And some smartass chess players would probably also be screaming bloody checkmate, right about now.

Walski's ground-shaking explanatory footnote: The Richter Scale is, of course, how ground tremor measurements are expressed. 55 on the Richter Scale would mean certain doom for the entire planet, incidentally. But there are 55 points in P. Balasubramaniam's SD - which as we know by now, is something equally ground-shaking...

Click here for the full post......

The Midnight Express of Irony

Technorati tags: Humor, Irony, Anwar Ibrahim, Politics, Scandal, Sodomy

A text message from Lord Panda a couple of days ago had Walski laughing out loud...

"Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sought refuge at the Turkish Embassy"
- OK... not the best place to be hangin' out after the 2nd accusation of packin' fudge..

So, Walski texted him back:

But I guess the Midnight Express had limited destinations to choose from...

Anyone who's watched the film Midnight Express would know the relevance of this and would probably be having a fit of ironic laughter, too. The film, of course, was an exaggerated (and rather inaccurate) adaptation of Billy Hayes' autobiographical book of the same name, and was inflammatory towards the Turks.

Then again, irony does have its funny side too, sometimes, and for that Walski let out a loud snicker...

Many did wonder, however, why the Turkish embassy. Bernama reported that contrary to what Anwar had claimed, the Turkish envoy did not offer him refuge, but accorded him space to hang out on humanitarian grounds (hat-tip: Rocky's Bru). However, as one of Rocky's commenters stated (via Turkish news site sorces), permission was given by the Turkish government. Apparently, Turkish PM, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is quite buddy-buddy with Anwar.

Ironic? You tell Walski... but the irony surrounding the whole incident doesn't quite stop there, either.

For instance, if you've seen pictures of the accuser, Saiful Bukhari Azlan (whom, incidentally, is probably the most Googled name in Malaysia the past few days), you'd have thought it would be kinda ridiculous that a 61 year old man - with a bad back - could overpower the 23 year old, for some backdoor lovin'. Certain people have opined that yes, it's plausible. How?

“Drugs, intoxication, power of influence, love, charmed by the personality and charisma…”, and as I rattle on the possibilities, I could sense a shift in mood. It doesn’t seem so impossible now does it?

Especially if you consider the possibility that it was consensual up till the point Anwar demanded too much from the young man. Sodomy, as it should be pointed out, is a crime regardless whether it was consensual or not.
(source: Suara Akar Umbi)

Walski thinks that this, too, is ironic. Yeah, okay... this comes from an UMNO blog. And UMNO, of course, sees Anwar Ibrahim as a constant thorn in their side. That's not the ironic part.

The irony kicks in as to how some people can choose to believe in the most ludicrous possibilities, just so that their party's status quo position is left intact.

Come hell, highwater, or a magical mystery trip up the Hershey Highway...
(conspiracy can be so ironic, and more, in the full post)

But since 'tis the season for conspiracy theories, here's a hare-brained far-fetched theory that Walski's come up with. A kind of "what if" scenario, if you would.

What if the allegation is a deliberate attempt to jeopardize the UMNO/BN-led government in the court of public opinion? Now, wouldn't that be ironic?

As it is, the general public opinion is that Anwar is innocent. And immediately, the popular conclusion is that BN is behind the accusations. Which, of course, doesn't quite add up, since doing that at a time when the public opinion of BN is at a low level. So, anyone with the kind of devious intelligence - like Walski - could actually further damage the general opinion of BN/UMNO simply by filing a false accusation against a popular individual like Anwar, who is already at odds with the ruling government.

Let's not discount the totally no-brainer stupidity factor possibility, however, that it was elements within BN/UMNO that did it. Desperate people will do the most desperate of things, no matter how stupid.

The possibilities are endless - some even ironic.

Equally no-brainer, ironically, are some of the things we are hearing in the press from some of our ministers.

Duhh... it's not like Malaysia exists in a vacuum. Especially not in this day and age, with information moving literally at the speed of thought. And this guy's a minister?

How ironic...

Well, be that as it may, that's the situation we're currently at... and yes, the police should be allowed to do their duty and investigate - in an unbiased, and non-prejudgemental manner. And Walski believes, too, that until someone is unequivocally proven otherwise, all parties should be treated like they're innocent.

That, by the way, is what justice is all about - innocent until proven guilty. Even the people we may not particularly like.

Otherwise, all we have is irony, and a lot of bullshit on the side...

Click here for the full post......