The Siege Mentality End-Game - Season Tickets Now Available

Technorati tags: Utusan Malaysia, UMB, Unit Media Baru UMNO, Controversy, Conspiracy, Marahku, Big Dog

There’s a phrase that Walski’s been thinking of a lot lately. And that phrase is siege mentality.

Here’s how siege mentality is defined by Wikipedia.

Siege mentality is a shared feeling of victimization and defensiveness. It is a state of mind whereby one believes that one is being constantly attacked, oppressed, or isolated and makes one frightened of surrounding people. This can cause a state of being overly fearful leading to a defensive attitude.

Last Saturday, Utusan Malaysia ran a front-page story about this “conspiracy” to make Christianity the “official” religion in Malaysia, replacing Islam (as enshrined in the Federal Constitution).

As it turns out, calling this a “story” is pretty accurate. Of the fairy tale kind, specifically. The true story of how this became front-page news, in all honesty, is kinda funny in a very mundane sort of way.

As far as Walski can tell, It all started with a blog posting from the pro-UMNO Marahku blog, entitled “Agong under threat? DAP wants to make Christianity the official religion of Malaysia?".

The posting essentially revolves around some information that blogger received – unverified and from an unnamed source – that a a group of 35 pastors, during a fete thrown for DAP in Penang, "formed a circle and touched each other's shoulder and vowed in English to make Christianity the official religion of Malaysia and put a Christian Prime Minister in office".

To lend credence to this, a picture was posted, supposedly from the same gathering, showing a group of folks, some with their hands on the shoulders of the person next to them. Don’t know about you, but that could have been a picture of anything, including a badly formed conga line.

The same “story” was also featured in another rabidly pro-UMNO blog, that of the one who calls himself Big Dog. The posting there was entitled “Making Christianity the official religion?”, and was posted some 24 minutes after the Marahku posting. 

It can be safe to assume, therefore, that both bloggers were relating the same incident based on the same anonymous information that both received. Or it could be that they were in the same room – who knows? Frankly, it doesn’t really matter and is totally beside the point.

Fair game – both bloggers are rabidly pro-UMNO, and both bloggers hate DAP. The stupid chapter of this story really began when Utusan decided to front-page it.
(the intermediate end-game, and more, in the full post)

Subversive Conniving Pastors, Boring Dinner Party, or Badly Formed Conga Line?

And from there, our fairy tale takes a further tumble downhill.

You see, once something is reported by Utusan, no matter how far-fetched it may be, it becomes the gospel truth. In this instance, an unverified story, from an unknown source, reported by two blogs, suddenly becomes a nation-threatening conspiracy of gargantuan proportions.

So unfathomably credible is Utusan regarded in certain circles, that even our ministers accepted the report without question (via The Malaysian Insider). Okay, granted Hisham & Rais aren’t exactly the sharpest tools in the shed, but you’d have thought our cabinet ministers would be a tad bit more circumspect.

The only plausible explanation that Walski can think of as to why Utusan holds such high levels of lethal credibility, despite been proven time and time again that their reporting borders on the tabloidish, is siege mentality. Either that, or UMNO has been brainwashed by extraterrestrials – which, admittedly, is an explanation that also borders on the tabloidish, so that can’t be the real explanation.

So, this great revelation of conspiracy, once reported by Utusan, is suddenly absorbed, internalized, and regurgitated by all and sundry associated with UMNO as fact. Pembela, the undisputed champions of siege mentality, called on the police to immediately investigate the validity of the Utusan report (via The Malaysian Insider). Walski won’t elaborate on why he regards Pembela as such in this post, but if you’ve been following their goings on, you’ll probably know why.

But if you thought that unverified information reported by blogs, then blown totally out of the Proportion Ocean by Utusan was bad enough, enter Perkasa, with another strange twist.

Perkasa now blames ex-Reds for presumed Christian plot

Perkasa now believes former Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) members are using local groups for an unsubstantiated plot to replace Islam as Malaysia’s official religion. Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali said he suspected CPM supporters had infiltrated political parties, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), religious groups and business associations after the party laid down arms in 1989 in order to carry on their activities.

“I believe there are (former) Communist Party members who still hold communist beliefs and want to see the country descend into chaos,” he told reporters in Kampung Baru here today.

The Pasir Mas MP had earlier given the government two weeks to verify the plot’s existence.

Ibrahim warned Malaysians who have forgotten about the communists to be wary of statements made by certain parties which contained anti-national and subversive elements rooted in the ideology, which he blamed for the increased racial and religious tension in the country.

“If it’s subversive, this is the work of communists hiding behind certain organisations,” he said.
(source: The Malaysian Insider)

These must be Christian Communists, Walski reckons, and not the usual kind that have no special regard for any religion. Of course, as usual, Ibrahim Ali shoots his mouth off without the need to back up his claim, probably thinking that it’s okay to lay unsubstantiated accusations on unsubstantiated plots.

But the point here is not Perkasa’s degree of silliness and density – the organization’s continued shenanigans makes their brain-matter deficit self-evident.

It is how something that isn’t much more than hearsay can become “fact”, just because it is reported by Utusan. Apart from Utusan, which acted as a conduit, Walski thinks the main factor that contributed to this is the underlying siege mentality that evidently has a choke-hold on Malay-Muslims in Malaysia.

The question is then, why is this so? Granted, the continued fear-mongering by the likes of Utusan, Pembela, Perkasa, and a long list of like-minded organizations, is definitely a contributor to the continued siege. Being the majority, and having the biggest say, is apparently not sufficient. So what is enough?

Walski isn’t entirely sure what the ultimate goal is, but based on the current political scenario, he thinks that there is at least an intermediate end-game. This he surmises purely based on his own observation of what’s going on in the country right now, and through the tell-tale signs as seen through popular social media vehicles, such as blogs, Facebook and Twitter.

And that objective is to entrench UMNO as the de facto and ideally only Malay political voice in the country.

To do this, all other predominantly Malay political entities not in cahoots with UMNO/BN must be eliminated. And the path towards this elimination: discredit these entities in any way possible.

If you’re on Twitter, you’ll notice how UMB postings get re-tweeted by those within the UMB network. This was true of the Big Dog and Marahku postings as well – the two postings were RT-broadcast through Twitter, then other UMB blogs posted either links to the two, or augmented the “story” further.

And because DAP is involved, PAS gets the blame for not championing Islam. Whether or not there was any conspiracy to begin with becomes moot. PKR has their own special place in UMB hell, and while they were mentioned in passing, the focus this time around was on PAS.

Interestingly enough, the Marahku blog, as of yesterday, took down ALL of its postings, including the one that started the ball rolling. Apart from an obvious panic that the posting had become more viral than expected, why did the blogger take the posting down? In fact, the entire blog has been wiped clean. The blogger, who also happens to be on Twitter (as @bshamsul), has apparently deleted his Twitter account as well.

There are other associated developments as well, primarily involving Perkasa, premised upon the basis that what was posted on the two blogs, and reported by Utusan, was fact. Among them, Perkasa calling the Bar Council racist for picking on Utusan, and the right-wing nut organization filing a police report against MyConstitution’s chairman for pointing out that there is no mention of an “official religion” stated in the Federal Constitution (all links above via The Malaysian Insider).

Walski’s observation of the intermediate end-game, incidentally, is based purely on his own observation, and so if you disagree, do feel free to leave a comment to tell him why. That the end-game is fueled by siege mentality is also a conclusion that Walski has made on his own accord, based on his observation. That conclusion, however, is shared by more than a handful of other Malaysians.

And as things stand, the siege mentality fueled end-game is still in progress, with no clear sign that the final whistle will be blown any time soon.

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

Setting straight what's in the Federal Constitution

Technorati tags: Federal Constitution, Malaysia, MyConstitution, Article 3, Official Religion

A very common occurrence in Malaysia is that the Federal Constitution is often misquoted, usually to fit a certain point of view or agenda. These misquotes, in turn, are accepted for the simple reason that very few Malaysians are aware of what is actually written.

It is for that primary reason, among others, that the Bar Council's constitutional law committee created the MyConstitution campaign, in order to educate Malaysians on the Federal Constitution.

Ironically, MyConstitution has been criticized by the very same people who often misquote the document (and continue to do so), for reasons best known to them.

This news clip focuses on MyConstitution's current chairperson's opinion, pertaining to a recent "issue" raised by Utusan and some pro-UMNO bloggers.

Amplify’d from www.themalaysianinsider.com

Malaysia has no official religion, says constitutional expert

The Federal Constitution has never stated Islam is the country’s “official religion”, says lawyer Syahredzan Johan as controversy raged over a Utusan Malaysia report that Christians want to usurp the religion’s place in the charter.

The Umno-owned paper and some Malay-Muslim groups, including Umno leaders, have been pushing the view that the country’s highest law proclaims Islam to be its “official” religion and that only a Muslim can be its prime minister.

Syahredzan, who is the Bar Council’s constitutional law committee chief, said Utusan’s reading of the law was wrong and warned the Malay-language daily was pushing what he described as a “dangerous misconception” that could plunge the country into religious and social unrest.

“In terms of the Federal Constitution, there’s only one religion for the federation, no official or unofficial. The Constitution is clear on this. Islam is not the official religion,” he said to The Malaysian Insider when contacted yesterday.

He cited Article 3 as stating “Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation” and pointed out the word “official” was nowhere in the provision.

Syahredzan said that section of the constitution must be interpreted together with Article 11, which states “Everyone has the right to profess and practise his religion and, subject to Clause (4)’ — which is on Islam — ‘to propagate it’”.

“We need to understand the correct terminology to be used when we say anything about the Federal Constitution,” he said, and added “everyone, from ministers to NGOs to bloggers have been claiming all sorts, which goes to show they do not know what is in the Federal Constitution”.

He observed that by inserting the extra word into the Constitution, the bloggers, ministers and newspaper were reading things that are not there and changing the law.

“And that’s unconstitutional,” the lawyer insisted. Read more at www.themalaysianinsider.com

 

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Perkasa lives up to their reputation...

Technorati tags: Perkasa, Illogical Irritants, 1Apartheid, Utusan

Q: What do you call 100 people with nothing better to do than be irritating?

A: Perkasa.

Yup, the organization that claims to speak for "all Malays" - whose population stands at about 100, going by today's turnout - descended upon the MCA Headquarters sometime earlier today, to protest against the BN-component party, whose "crime" was to call for a boycott of Utusan Malaysia, the right-wing nut NGO's sacred text.

What's interesting about this protest: no water cannons and the total lack of tear gas being fired, the required ingredients for most peaceful protests in Malaysia.

But Walski reckons that Perkasa is "special" - not only does UMNO fear these goons, but looking at virtually all recent unmolested Perkasa protests in recent memory, so does the Malaysian Police.

So special, in fact, that they simply cannot be reasoned with. Like how you can't reason with a hyperactive 3-year old on a sugar high.

Be that as it may, today Perkasa sure lived up to their reputation. Of being totally irritating.

Amplify’d from www.themalaysianinsider.com

Perkasa in minor protest against MCA

About 100 Perkasa members and supporters held a demonstration today in front of Wisma MCA here to protest the party’s rejection of the Utusan Malaysia-initiated “1 Melayu, 1 Bumi” movement.

Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali told reporters that he handed a memorandum addressed to the MCA leadership to warn the Chinese-based Barisan Nasional (BN) component party to toe the line in regards to the movement.

Banners displaying “Utusan Malaysia, the Malays’ hope”, “MCA don’t play with fire”, and “long live Utusan” were seen at the peaceful demonstration.

On Friday, MCA deputy publicity chief Loh Seng Kok warned that the “1 Melayu, 1 Bumi” movement mooted by the Malay-language daily would create an apartheid situation in Malay-majority Malaysia.

Utusan had called on its owners Umno to spearhead a “1 Melayu, 1 Bumi” movement involving all Malay parties, claiming that the DAP was intent on toppling the country’s Malay leadership.

Syed Hassan said the four-point memorandum, received by the MCA president’s press secretary Giam Say Khoon, included warnings to not bring up sensitive issues but that it is up to the party’s leaders to apologise for their actions.

“We’re here to show our support to Utusan Malaysia. Utusan Malaysia is not a racist newspaper. Utusan Malaysia had only defended the Malays’ rights,” said Syed Hassan, before accusing other newspapers of being “more racist than Utusan Malaysia”. Read more at www.themalaysianinsider.com

 

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Perkasa acting like an authority in BN

Technorati tags: Politics, Perkasa, Race Politics

Seriously, this guy Ahmad Zaini has delusions of grandeur, or what?

The "1Melayu, 1Bumi" call by Utusan is divisive. Period. Even the BN ministers, and Perkasa's own patron are distancing themselves away from this.

And now, because criticism has been leveled on Perkasa's sacred text, Utusan, they want to lord around folks in BN, case in point being MCA.

While most rational people see the "1Melayu, 1Bumi" call by Utusan to be, best case, personal opinion, and worst case, outright dangerous, the ultra-right wingnut organization, on the other hand, sees this as a golden opportunity to further their own agenda.

And in Walski's eyes, that agenda is 1Apartheid. 'Melayu uber alles', but with a perpetual crutch in order that their subsidy mentality can be propped up and nurtured for eternity.

Special. Truly Special....

Amplify’d from www.themalaysianinsider.com

Perkasa warns MCA to toe the line in 1Melayu row

The Perak chapter of Malay-rights group Perkasa today slammed MCA leaders for urging a boycott of Utusan Malaysia, claiming the party’s call was a ploy to regain dwindling Chinese support.

The head of the chapter, Ahmad Zaini, accused the Chinese party of sacrificing the co-operation among Barisan Nasional parties as it sought to remain relevant to a community that has now abandoned them in favour of the opposition.

“There's no need to pay attention to their call as they themselves are no longer acceptable in the eyes of the Chinese community,” Ahmad was quoted as saying by state news agency Bernama.

On Friday, MCA deputy publicity chief Loh Seng Kok warned that the “1Melayu, 1 Bumi” movement mooted by the Malay-language daily would create apartheid in Malay-majority Malaysia.

Utusan had called on its owners Umno to spearhead a ‘1Melayu, 1Bumi’ movement involving all Malay parties, claiming that the DAP was intent on toppling the country’s Malay leadership.

Loh also reminded Utusan that BN comprises 13 political parties representing various communities.

Today, the Perak Perkasa chief asked BN to shut out such calls from Loh and his party, and to instead give voice to leaders who remained loyal to the coalition.

He also urged BN lynchpin, Umno, to bring the Chinese-based parties in the coalition back in line after their recent criticisms of what he described as “Malay rights”. Read more at www.themalaysianinsider.com

 

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Utusan ups the race rhetoric ante

Technorati tags: Racism, 1Apartheid, Utusan, Rhetoric

Amazing how much Utusan is allowed to get away with, without even a slap on the wrist. It is this race-first, damn the rest thinking that gives UMNO a bad name.

Why? Whatever Utusan says mirrors the party's thoughts. Nevermind that this may just be a perception, if it isn't the case. Perception is what goes to form an individual's reality.

The more Utusan spews its racial venom, the worse off the image of their own political masters will be. That reality, however, seems to have gotten lost in Utusan's ego-driven mindset.

Bang up job, Utusan!

Amplify’d from www.themalaysianinsider.com

Utusan calls for 1Melayu, 1Bumi movement

“What Umno needs to do now, in this pressing time, is to launch a wave of racial unity - 1Melayu, 1Bumi. Launch 1Melayu, 1Bumi immediately with other Malay parties,” assistant chief editor Datuk Zaini Hassan wrote in the Malay daily today.

In his Cuit column, he said that DAP’s slogans in the recently concluded Sarawak state election called for Chinese voters to change the Malay-led government, adding that they already controlled everything and was now aiming for political power.

“Only absolute political power has not been controlled by the Chinese, everything else has been taken. Now DAP bringing great slogans among them, Undi Untuk Ubah (Vote for Change), Enough is Enough and Selamatkan Malaysia (Save Malaysia).

“In truth, those slogans are aimed at no one else but specifically the Chinese. It is displayed proudly on the chests of DAP candidates and supporters in the Sarawak election so that the Malay leadership of Malaysia is changed,” he added.

In his column, he said that the Chinese community was a united force whose “brotherhood” was unmatched by any other race in the country.

He said that despite their different political stands, Chinese voters would unite when the time came to decide the fate of their community.

Zaini also said that the Chinese community helped each other economically and stood together unwaveringly to protect their culture, language and vernacular education.

“The Chinese language is a high priority and it is said that even Chinese who cannot read Chinese will still buy Chinese newspapers.

“In short, the Chinese are actually very fortunate to be in Malaysia. They have controlled everything. The top ten Chinese are Malaysian billionaires,” he wrote.

However, he provided no facts to substantiate the claim that the Chinese community was such a united force. Read more at www.themalaysianinsider.com

 

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Sunday Tee-off

Technorati tags: Humor, Politics, Utusan, Ridhuan Tee, Santa Claus

If you’re a golfer and found this post thinking that it’s got to do with the game, please prepare to be utterly disappointed.

No, this post has nothing whatsoever to do with golf. Golf, as it turns out, is Walski’s handicap… (that’s a lame golf joke, incidentally).

Original image taken from here

Nay, this post is about an article written by Dr. Ridhuan Tee, published in Mingguan Malaysia this past Sunday (PDF version), which was also posted on his blog. An English version of the same article can be found on Tee’s English blog here. The article, if you haven’t yet read it, scored a hole-in-1Malaysia (sorry, another lame-ish golf joke), promoting a blatantly racial agenda in how Malaysia should be, in Dr. Tee’s eyes.

Ridhuan Tee, is certainly no stranger to controversy, and is definitely not a medical doctor, in case you’re wondering (Politics & Government is his doctoral forte). Walski knows because (through Twitter) a lot of people were feeling sick to their stomach after reading the Dr.’s article.

But before we delve into the article itself, there are two excellent rebuttals to Tee’s article, which Walski urges you to read, if you haven’t yet. One, in Bahasa Malaysia, comes from Dengan Izini…™ entitled “Siapa Yang Jahat, Dr Ridhuan Tee?” by Hidayat Saifudin.

The second comes from none other than Art Harun, who penned “An Open Reply to Dr. Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah”. A brilliantly written retort, Walski might add.

Needless to say, there probably are quite a number more, but Walski feels these two deserve special mention.

So what is it about Ridhuan Tee’s article that really got many people feeling they’d just encountered the wrong end of a 1-Iron to their gut? No birdies for guessing – it had to do with the ludicrous notions of 1Apartheid-ish race & religious relations numerical formulas, grave ornaments, and Santa Claus.
(the social contract, minus the santa claus(e), and more, in the full post)

As a precaution against being accused of not stating facts accurately, Walski will quote from both the Bahasa Malaysia and English versions of Dr. Ridhua Tee’s article. If you’re thinking of visiting the English version blog, though, be forewarned that Tee’s embedded some really cheesy easy listening music that you cannot turn off.

The article starts off with a kinda defense on behalf of Utusan – no big wonder, because that’s the vehicle he rides on for his writing. And as with any champion of the Malay/Islam cause, the Holy Grail of race-based politics, the Social Contract, is invoked early on (all emphasis by myAsylum).

Persoalan saya, apakah akhbar tabloid parti ultra kiasu dan parti-parti politik perkauman lain dan mereka yang bersekongkol tidak jahat? Parti ultra kiasu dan kuncu-kuncunya bukan sahaja jahat, tetapi terang dan nyata lagi berniat jahat dengan menolak kontrak sosial dan perlembagaan persekutuan serta mencabar perkara-perkara sensitif yang telah dipersetujui bersama sekian lama. Rakan sekutu parti ultra kiasu langsung tidak berani bersuara kerana takut hilang sokongan. Inilah strategi licik ultra kiasu dan sekutunya berselindung di bawah gagasan 1Malaysia untuk mencari laba dan keuntungan politik.

My question is whether the ultra kiasu party news tabloid and the other racist political parties and those concocted with them are they also not evil? The ultra kiasu party and its group are not only evil, but it is already clearly a fact that they have an evil intention by not accepting the social contract and rejecting the federal constitution and also challenging sensitive matters that have long been agreed upon. The partners of the ultra kiasu party do not dare to speak directly for fear of loss of support. This is the cunning strategy of the ultra kiasu party and its allies hiding behind the 1Malaysia concept for its benefits and political mileage.

Ironically, while accusing the anti-agenda papers and other ultra-kiasu political parties of cowardice for “not speaking directly”, Ridhuan tee neglects to identify whom he’s referring to exactly. In the same paragraph, no less. His own “cunning strategy”, perhaps.

Now, Walski’s no lawyer, but he’s dealt with enough contracts to know that there are none which are not subject to review, and are to be maintained for perpetuity, regardless of how circumstances change. Much less an unwritten contract. Art Harun, who is a lawyer, explains this in great detail in his open reply (from paragraph 5 onwards).

And then, it starts to get stranger.

Sekurang-kurangnya Utusan Malaysia berterus-terang, bermakna tidaklah terlalu jahat, daripada berselindung melakukan kejahatan, di depan orang pijak semut tak mati, tetapi di belakang bukan main lagi, seolah-olah hidup ini tidak akan mati. Inilah tindak-tanduk mereka untuk mengaburi mata rakyat. Kalau kita intip pergerakan mereka, saya yakin kita akan berjumpa dengan manusia yang sejahat ini, termasuk salah seorang exco yang membawa santa claus berjumpa pemimpin negeri mereka baru-baru ini. Kepada pemimpin tersebut, kalau suka sangat raikan santa claus, jangan sampai terlebih meraikan pulak. Sebagai umat Islam, kita diajar menghormati agama lain, tetapi elok berpada-pada. Mereka ini licik perancangannya. Ramai orang Melayu sudah tersasar kerana terlalu dekat dengan santa claus.

At least Utusan Malaysia is frank, meaning not too bad instead of camouflage doing evil, like being sweet in front of people but when behind actually are not. Those are their actions to obscure the eyes of the public. If we spy their movement, I am confident we will see their true colors, including the one exco that brought the santa claus to meet the leader of their country recently. To this leader, if you enjoy celebrating with Santa Claus, please do not over do it. As Muslims, we are taught to respect other religions, but do not go overboard. They are very cunning at planning. Many Malays have side tracked because of being too close to santa claus.

Bad English aside, the mystery of why the Malays have gotten sidetracked, despite opportunity after opportunity has now been solved – it’s Santa’s fault. Oh, the English version also upgrades Selangor to a country. Cool… Khalid Ibrahim must be pleased that he now has his own country.

Ironic, but while Tee fervently upholds the “social contract”, he totally dismisses the Santa Claus…

In any case, what Ridhuan Tee must have been referring to – in his not so direct, but still gallant way – is this image which surfaced a few hours after the release of his boundary-pushing article.

Yes, it’s Khalid Ibrahim partying with a badly disguised Santa, some bored-looking Santarinas, and a few state Ex-Co members. So, what’s so wrong with this happy celebratory get-together? Well, nothing really, if you asked Walski. But Ridhuan Tee probably has other ideas of how dangerous this could be to the faith.

But seriously, fear of a fictitious character? Wouldn’t that, logically, mean that the fear is kinda fictitious as well? Then again, that’s just Walski – who’s he to say, right? 

So, back to the article, the un-named, but obviously-referring-to-DAP, ultra-kiasu types are accused of bringing up sensitive racial issues to promote their own agenda.

Dalam memahami politik Malaysia, isu-isu perkauman dibangkitkan untuk mendapatkan sokongan politik dan pada masa untuk menyedarkan kaum masing-masing agar mereka sedar siapa mereka yang sebenar dan apa yang sepatutnya diperolehi. Manakala isu-isu sensitif dibangkitkan untuk mendapatkan hak sama rata dan sama rasa bagi kumpulan ultra kiasu. Mereka tahu perkara ini tidak boleh dibangkitkan secara terbuka kerana ia boleh dikenakan tindakan di bawah akta hasutan. Mereka sengaja mahu menguji UMNO yang ketika ini berada dalam keadaan agak tertekan disebabkan tidak mendapat majoriti dua pertiga dalam parlimen dan perpecahan Melayu Islam yang amat menyakitkan.

In understanding the Malaysian politics, racial issues were raised for political supports and to make the respective races to realize who they are and what should be obtained. Meanwhile, the sensitive issues were raised to demand equal rights and opportunities for the ultra kiasu group. They know these things can not be raised openly as they can be held under the sedition act. They deliberately want to test UMNO which currently is at its most crucial situation because of not getting two-thirds majority and also facing the painful disunity of the Malay Muslims.

Ok, so Tee’s a big UMNO sympathizer, a party which never raises any sensitive issues that are hurtful to others, right? Oh, but we have to forgive UMNO because they’re at a very painful ebb. UMNO, after all, is God’s gift to… well, Walski doesn’t know what, exactly.

Incidentally, not too long ago, when someone converted to Islam in Malaysia, that act was sometimes called “masuk Melayu” (loosely translated, converting to being Malay), because of the so-called societal expectation that once you’re Muslim, you must “become” Malay to be accepted. Of course, this is more perception than anything else, because there’s no such thing as racial discrimination in Islam, a point that’s highlighted by Tee himself. Or, does he?

Sebagai rakyat Malaysia, kita mesti tahu bahawa konsep sama rata dan sama rasa tidak menepati kehendak perlembagaan persekutuan, walaupun konsep Malaysian Malaysia yang selalu dilaung dan didesak oleh parti ultra kiasu. Ingat, agama Islam agama majoriti masyarakat negara ini. Kedudukan Islam begitu istimewa dalam perlembagaan. Jika ada ‘kelebihan’ pada agama Islam, ia bukanlah satu diskriminasi kerana selaku majoriti, Melayu Islam berhak, apatah lagi ia telah dipersetujui melalui kontrak sosial. Tidak perlu dipertikaikan atau dituduh tidak adil. Termasuk menggunakan dana-dana kerajaan untuk mengembangkan syiar Islam. Malangnya, perkara-perkara ini tidak pernah diformulakan. Akhirnya, setiap kaum atau parti menginterpretasikan mengikut kepentingan masing-masing mengikut latar belakang bangsa dan agamanya. Tidak ketinggalan perancangan jahat mereka.

As Malaysians, we must know that the concept of equal rights and equal opportunity do not fulfill the requirements of the federal constitution, although the concept of Malaysian Malaysia which is always being shouted and demanded by the ultra kiasu party. Remember, Islam is the religion of the majority community of this country. Islam has a very special position in the constitution. If there is any 'advantage' in Islam, it is not discrimination because as the majority Malay Muslims, they have the rights, let alone it had been agreed upon through the social contract. There should not be anymore questions or being accused of unfairness. These also included using government funds to develop the growth of Islam. Unfortunately, these things were never formulated. Finally, each race or party interpreted according to their interests respectively basing on the race and religious background. Not forgetting also their evil plans.

Now, Walski doesn’t know offhand which governance textbooks Dr. Ridhuan Tee studied to obtain his PhD in Politics & Government, but what he describes here is certainly not democracy – it’s majoritarianism, another favorite doctrine espoused by many in UMNO. The problem, according to Tee, is that there has not been a formalization of unequal rights for Malaysians. And with this in mind, we’re introduced to the Ridhuan Tee Social Formula.

Untuk mengelakkan daripada parti ultra kiasu ini menjadi bertambah jahat, setidak-tidaknya kita mesti menggariskan formula bagi menyelesaikan kejahatan ini. Formula saya adalah berasaskan kepada pecahan statistik agama dan bangsa di negara ini. Mengikut bancian tahun 2000, anutan agama rakyat Malaysia adalah seperti berikut 60.4% Islam, 40% bukan Melayu (22% Buddha-Toaisme-Konfucius, 9% Kristian, 6% Hindu, 3% lain-lain). Formula ini boleh diaplikasikan dalam konteks kehidupan bernegara termasuk hak-hak beragama dan sambutan perayaan setiap kaum, bagi mendapatkan keadilan. Formula ini menepati sebahagian maksud keadilan dalam Islam yang membawa maksud meletakkan sesuatu pada tempatnya walaupun tidak sepenuhnya.

In order to prevent the ultra kiasu party continues to become evil, we must at least outline the formula to solve this. My formula is based on the statistical breakdown of races and religions in this country. According to the year 2000 census, the percentages of Malaysians by religions were as follows: 60% Islam, 40% non-Malay (22% Buddhist-Taoism-Confucius, 9% Christian, 6% Hindu, 3% others). This formula can be applied in the context of the nationalization, including justification on the rights of religious festivals and celebrations of all races. This formula fulfills part of the meaning to justification in Islam which means to put things in its place although not completely.

Okay, this formula is great if you’re making pancakes, but if applied to governance, it will very likely lead to tyranny of the majority. Then, he goes to say that this is Islamic. And you wonder why Islam gets such bad press? This thing about how “justice” is not equality is another favorite among religionists, by the way.

Now because Utusan apparently has really sloppy copywriters, we are also made to believe that there is an additional 0.4% in 100% (go take a re-look a the BM version of the quote above. Walski did a straight copy & paste, by the way. Don’t believe him? Take a look at the PDF from the Utusan website. But let’s not belabor this minor faux pas, shall we?

The thing is that Ridhuan Tee almost laments the fact that the reality in Malaysia doesn’t fit his neat pancake social formula, attributing it to tolerance.

Atas dasar toleransi, formula ini boleh dikatakan langsung tidak diterima pakai, sama ada dalam bidang politik, ekonomi mahupun sosial. Misalnya, bilangan rumah ibadat bukan Islam melimpah ruah, perayaan mereka menenggelamkan perayaan orang Islam walaupun bilangan mereka sedikit. Lihat sahaja gedung-gedung membeli belah, walaupun Kristian hanya 9%, sambutan Krismas dan Tahun Baru 2010 menenggelamkan perayaan utama seperti hari raya dan tahun baru Islam. Kalau tidak percaya, lawatilah negeri-negeri yang diperintah ultra kiasu dan sekutunya serta gedung-gedung membeli belah sekutu mereka di seluruh negara.

Saya fikir, umat Islam di negara ini amat berlembut dan bertoleransi tinggi. Upacara perayaan keagamaan dan kematian begitu beradab serta mudah. Jalan raya tidak sesak. Kuburnya begitu kecil. Berbanding agama lain, sudahlah bilangannya kecil, kadangkala sehari suntuk jalan raya sesak ketika perayaan tertentu. Kubur-kuburnya begitu luas dan besar. Sampai bilakah amalan ini boleh diteruskan, di kala penduduk semakin ramai, tanah semakin terhad? Setakat ini orang Islam tidaklah bising sangat berbanding orang lain, walaupun kubur mereka semakin terhimpit dan protes daripada bukan Islam yang semakin berani apabila ada tambahan tanah perkuburan Islam.

On the basis of tolerance, this formula was not applied completely, either in politic, economic or even social. For example, the number of non-Muslim places of worship exceeded overwhelmingly, their festival celebrations actually drowned the Muslims celebrations even though they are less in numbers. Just look at the shopping malls, although Christians are only 9%, the Christmas and New Year 2010 celebrations are incomparable to the Hari Raya and the Islamic New Year. If you do not believe, visit the states ruled by the ultra kiasu and its allies and the shopping malls of their allies throughout the country.

I think the Muslims in this country are very tolerant and soft. Their religious festivals and funerals are well mannered and simple. Roads are not congested. Their graves are very small. Compared to other religions, which the number is already smaller, at times the roads are congested the whole day on certain festivals. The graves are so wide and large. How long will this practice be continued, whereas the population is growing but land is limited? So far, the Muslims are not that noisy compared to others, although their graves are narrowing and protests from the non-Muslims are increasingly bolder when there is an increase in Islamic cemetery.

One exception Ridhuan Tee conveniently omits is the road congestion caused by double, even triple-parked cars during Friday congregational prayers, which mysteriously go unseen by the traffic police. Yes, it is a Muslim’s obligation to attend Friday prayers, but does that make it an obligation to be a public nuisance – not to mention safety hazard – to others? What happened to being so tolerant and “soft”?

Now, Walski is pretty damned sure that in Johor and Pahang, the shopping malls are decked with Christmas decorations, just as they are in the states where the “ultra-kiasu” rule. If there’s anyone around the Johor Bharu and Kuantan areas is reading this post, Walski would really appreciate some perspective on his assumption.

But, let’s humor Ridhuan Tee for a sec – assume that the Islamic New Year is to be forcibly observed at the shopping malls – how exactly would the malls be appropriately decorated? Walski personally thinks that the last thing the Middle Eastern tourists would want to see is more desert sand and dromoderies. Similarly, on Prophet Muhammad’s birthday... On second thought, let’s not even go there…

The rest of the article goes on (and on) about graves, some more. Interestingly enough, he also lambasts Gerakan for insisting that the Grik parliamentary seat be given to them (from UMNO) to contest, which Walski thinks has something to do with the tussle between UMNO and Gerakan in BN’s Penang leadership arena.

Some people have commented that Dr. Ridhuan Tee’s writing portray him to be “more Malay” than your typical UMNO-phile. Which is really ironic, unless the doctor is actually a member of the party – something that Walski doesn’t think is the case.

Now, Walski hopes that this post is not misconstrued as being an ad hominem against Ridhuan Tee. It’s Tee’s ideas that Walski finds disturbing, and somewhat ironic at times – portraying the ideal of race supremacy, not-so-subtly disguised behind religious primacy, championing for an ethnicity that Tee cannot possibly represent, hard as he may try.

They say that a leopard can’t change its spots. And then you have Adidas that says “Impossible is Nothing”. Between the two, the doctor has gotten pretty confused, Walski thinks.

But at the end of it all, the biggest winners were probably the golfers – because inadvertently, they got a surprise Christmas weekend gift – a Ridhuan Tee.

Walski’s seemingly irrelevant picture-inclusion explanatory (somewhat) footnote: You may be wondering what relevance the first picture above has to this post. You see, Walski’s mind works in mysterious (and strange) ways sometimes. Suffice it to say that picture of the lovely teddy was taken during tea-time. Which is similar to what kind of time Walski had while writing this post...

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WTF is up with KOSMO?

Technorati tags: Kosmo, Utusan, Yasmin Ahmad, Insensitivity

If you’ve been following Walski’s neck of the Twitterverse woods, you’d probably have heard the totally insensitive front page (and page 2) story about the late Yasmin Ahmad that Kosmo! decided to run today.

And for what? Circulation? Ok, they got to sell one extra copy today, but only because Walski needed to see exactly how insensitive these Utusan fucks can be. And what did the front page and page 2 say, exactly? Well, read it for yourself (in PDF – alternatively downloadable from here).

Walski really wonders what goes thru the minds of these idiots sometimes... and if you haven’t already, isn’t it high time you stopped buying any Utusan publications?  
(the insensitivity of Kosmo!, and more, in the full post)

Granted, the article wasn’t written viciously – it was, in its own twisted way, a tribute of sorts. But that’s not the point.

Thankfully, though, the rest of their coverage on Yasmin was full of praise – they should’ve been sensible enough to have kept it that way throughout. But, hey… this is, after all, the spawn of Utusan we’re talking about. Intelligence is not exactly what Walski would associate Kosmo! with. Or, for that matter, sensitivity.

Truth be told, this is not the first time Walski had heard of such stories regarding Yasmin, and if you had bothered to look, there are quite a few blogs writing stories and posting pictures of Yasmin Ahmad along the same tired storyline.

But seriously, true or not – who the hell cares? Walski doesn’t. Because it doesn’t take anything whatsoever away from the fact that Yasmin Ahmad, through her work, inspired the nation. It’s as simple as that.

And that, folks, is what matters in the end – how you lived your life and contributed to the betterment of those around you. That’s how Walski chooses to remember Yasmin – for the wonderful films she made, her positivity, and her ardent hope that one day we can all live together as one people.

Let’s face it – we all know the kind of dirtbag journalism Kosmo!, and it’s sister-publication Utusan, choose to practice. Running the story the way they did comes as no surprise to Walski whatsoever.

What can Walski say… dirtbags are as dirtbags will be. They can print all the crap they want, but it doesn’t mean that Walski – or anyone else – has to buy it.

Kosmo! and Utusan? Well, the solution is actually quite simple: if the buying stops, maybe the lying will, too… 

Perhaps it’s high time the MSM hartal got back into gear (via The People’s Parliament)… Well, count Walski in, for sure…

  

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Awang di ambang paranoia

Technorati tags: Humor, Utusan, Awang Selamat, Commentary, UMNO, Lost Causes

Zaid Ibrahim’s thrashed it. So has Galadriel. Plus, if you bothered to look further, Walski is sure many more would have by now. And now, it’s Walski’s turn.

Seriously… Awang is paranoid. But that’s probably par for the Utusan course. Utusan, being the harbinger of doom for anyone who still wants to ascribe to race-based status quo, and continues to believe that UMNO speaks on behalf of all Malays.

In fact, if you read The Malaysian Insider headline in full, ignoring the punctuation marks,

it would give you a much truer picture: Melayu dikhianati Awang Selamat.

So, allow Walski to say something in a way that Awang (and those of similar mindsets) can understand:

Awang Selamat lah sebab utama mengapa minda sesetengah Melayu masih jumud, dan tidak dapat menerima hakikat yang kita ini telah menjangkau abad ke 21.

Awang Selamat, dan sekutu-sekutu yang sebengap dengan.   
(added bilingual tirades, and more,  in the full post)

Utusan represents a paradigm that’s fighting tooth and nail to survive – the archaic Malay mind. One that’s trapped in a time-warp, still thinking that we live in 1957. Or maybe 1969. Or at some point in history that’s not the now of the 21st century.

Which is why Awang’s version of 1Malaysia is pretty much a restatement of the UMNO status quo. He still talks with the idea that we live in an absolute monarchy, not a constitutional one. His feudal synapses simply cannot accept that the Malaysia most of us aspire for is one where all Malaysians are equal under the law, where citizenship is the main criteria of inclusion.

Tak paham apa yang Walski katakan, Awang?

Bangkitlah dan hayati keharuman abad ke-21… kalau tak paham-paham jugak, terjunlah dengan labu-labu si Luncai… Walski membisik, “biarkan… biarkan…”

Granted, some things don’t translate well from English to Bahasa Malaysia. Or at least, Walski can’t translate them well enough. So if anyone can provide a better version of “wake up and smell the 21st century” in BM, do let Walski know.

In all likelihood, there is no one single individual named Awang Selamat. Rather, it is a pseudonym that reflects upon the collective Utusan mindset, and what it stands for. And to Walski, it stands for a dying paradigm of UMNO political hegemony.

Dan kalau Awang masih tak nak menerima hakikat yang Malaysia hari ini bukan lagi Tanah Melayu zaman Hang Tuah, lantak engkau lah. Walski tak akan menangis kalau Awang ketinggalan bas.

For a newspaper that loves to flaunt the fact that Malaysians are blind to history (buta sejarah), Walski would really like to know: whose version of history is Utusan trying to pull over our eyes? 

Orang Melayu menerusi Umno bermurah hati melonggarkan syarat-syarat dalam undang-undang negara ini sehinggakan dalam masa 12 bulan selepas kemerdekaan, 90 peratus penduduk bukan Melayu menjadi warganegara. Ini berbeza dengan keadaan sebelum merdeka di mana 90 peratus daripada mereka masih tidak diiktiraf sebagai rakyat Tanah Melayu walaupun hampir 100 tahun hidup di bawah pemerintahan penjajah.

The Malays, through UMNO, were generous enough to loosen the conditions within the country's laws to the extent that 90 percent of the non-Malays became citizens within 12 months of independence. In contrast, 90 percent of them were not recognized as citizens despite having lived for almost 100 years under colonial rule.

What Zaid Ibrahim wrote in his blog post yesterday, however, probably mirrors a more accurate version of historical reality, challenging Utusan’s race-supremacist version of it.

Kita mendapat kemerdekaan kerana British telah bersetuju dengan pihak Perikatan dalam hal syarat-syarat kemerdekaan tersebut. Bila kita bersetuju, kita hormatilah perjanjian tersebut. Usahlah nak ungkit bahawa kita bermurah hati memberi kerakyatan yang mudah kepada Cina dan India. Hakikatnya itulah syarat yang kita setuju. Tak ada siapa yang memaksa kita memberi kemudahan itu. Pada masa itu adalah mustahil untuk British melepaskan Malaya pada tahun 1957 jika soal kewarganegaraan kaum Cina dan India tidak selesai. Sejak Gerald Templer dihantar ke sini oleh Winston Churchill pada tahun 1952, semua pihak berusaha mencari jalan ke arah memerdekakan Malaya tetapi dengan syarat yang perlu diselesaikan ialah penerimaan kaum Cina dan India sebagai warganegara. Kerajaan British tegas dalam hal ini. Dan UMNO setuju dengan syarat ini. Itulah harga kemerdekaan yang Perikatan faham dam menerima dengan hati terbuka. Apakah Utusan ada fakta sejarah yang berbeza?

We obtained independence because the British agreed with the Alliance in the areas of certain conditions relating to said independence. When we agree, we have to honor the agreement. No point in bringing up our “generosity” in giving easy citizenship to the Chinese and Indians. The fact is that those were the conditions we agreed to. No one forced us to provide such leeway. At that time, it would have been impossible for the British to let go of Malaya in 1957, had the question of citizenship for the Chinese and Indian communities not been resolved. Since 1952, when Gerald Templer was sent here by Winston Churchill, all parties strived to find a path towards Malaya’s independence, but on condition that the question of citizenship for the Chinese and Indians be resolved. The British Government was firm on this point. And UMNO agreed to this condition. That was the price of independence that the Alliance understood and accepted with an open heart. What, does Utusan have alternate historical facts that are different?

But that's Utusan for ya - living in a make believe world of historical facts that border on fiction. And trying their utmost best to make sure that everybody else within spitting distance experiences the same delusions as they do.

Utusan’s racist scare tactics may have worked in the past, but Malaysians today are a lot more mature and politically savvy. Save a few sorry ones that choose to be left behind.

And like Awang Selamat’s mind, theirs, unfortunately, is also evolution-proof. 

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Utusan: The Wrath of Lim

Technorati tags: Utusan Malaysia, Penang, Lim Guan Eng, MAINPP, Malaysiakini

Related post: Utusan and the Case of the Imaginary Council

It's really amazing how Utusan gets away with printing incitement, and not a peep from the Home Ministry. It's not surprising, just amazing. And UMNO will become more dynamic after the transition? Yeah, right...

This is just a short post, to quickly follow up on what Walski wrote yesterday. The following video is a short Q&A session between the press, and Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng, explaining why Utusan is being sued (hat-tip: The Might Of The Pen).

In any case, Utusan and the politically partisan MAINPP will one day reap what they sow. We can only hope that the one day will be sooner, rather than later. 
(you've reached the extent of the full post)

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Utusan and the Case of the Imaginary Council

Technorati tags: Politics, Islam, Utusan, Lies, MAINPP

Walski honestly doesn't know whether to laugh, or laugh till he cries. This is what Utusan Malaysia carried as their front page story today (annotated by myAsylum).

Misreporting lies, or just plain lies?

Whichever way you look at it, they really should consider changing their tagline from Penyebar Minda Rakyat to Penyebar Fitnah Rakyat. The story they carried is so wrong, on so many levels. Stupidly wrong. No, make that idiotic. It's as if Utusan were too busy playing with their Pee-Pee to notice that it may have been a good idea to verify stories before they go to print.

Worse, it brings up another question - if the reporting were accurate (albeit irresponsible) - what the heck were MAINPP (another fine acronym from Penang) thinking, making flailing accusations without verifying those accusations first? Busy playing with their Pee-Pee? Walski dare not even guess... 

Walski's reaction to this latest bit of Utusan stupidity is the same as what he thought when the news about Chua Soi Lek being investigated for the "crime" of oral sex broke yesterday - this story really blows.
(DAP bites back, and more, in the full post)

But before you go wondering what's all this about playing with Pee-Pee's and such... MAINPP is the unfortunate acronym for Majlis Agama Islam Negeri Pulau Pinang - or the Pulau Pinang (or Penang) State Religious Council. Unfortunate, because MAIN is a Bahasa Malaysia word which means play. So there... you Bahasa-illiterate folks are now on the same page.

The Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng (who presumably does not play with his Pee-Pee while on the job) has said that he will file a defamation suit against Utusan for publishing the story, which he says is one big lie. Why a lie? Because there is no such council in his state government (as reported by Malaysiakini - except for the part about the Pee-Pee).

You would have thought that before publishing such a accusatory story, Utusan would have bothered to check the accuracy first, right? That's like Remedial Journalism for News Flunkies, almost.

But here's the thing - as what Walski had asked before - what if Utusan's reporting were accurate? And that what was printed was exactly what Shabudin Yahaya, MAINPP president, said? That would be a can of worms of a whole different magnitude.

While Walski goes look for a can opener, here's what was reported by Utusan - translation (in this color), and any emphasis, by myAsylum (a PDF copy of the report can be downloaded here):

Nibong Tebal 23 Feb. - Penubuhan Majlis Perundingan Antara Agama oleh kerajaan negeri Pulau Pinang mesti dihentikan kerana ia meletakkan Islam sama taraf dengan agama-agama lain.

Nibong Tebal 23 Feb. - The setting up of an Inter-Faith Council by the Pulau Pinang state government must be stopped because it puts Islam on the same level as other religions.

Yang Dipertua Majlis Agama Islam Negeri Pulau Pinang (MAINPP), Shabudin Yahaya berkata,cubaan menyamakan Islam dengan fahaman agama lain ternyata menghina Islam dan tindakan seperti itu mesti dihentikan.

President of the Pulau Pinang State Islamic Religious Council (MAINPP), Shabudin Yahaya said, the attempt to put Islam on equal footing with other religions is a clear insult to Islam, and such actions must cease.

Katanya, MAINPP berasa cukup tersinggung apabila ada beberapa ahli jawatankuasa (AJK) majlis tersebut terdiri daripada orang Melayu.

He said, MAINPP felt very slighted when a few of the council committee members were Malays.

‘‘Saya difahamkan ada tiga orang AJK Melayu beragama Islam duduk dalam majlis tersebut yang kononnya mahu menuntut kesamarataan agama.

"I have been made to understand that there are three Malays, of the Islamic faith, sitting as committee members in the council, which, it seems, claims equality of religions.

‘‘Ini sesuatu yang cukup menakutkan kerana agama Islam dipandang sama seperti Buddha yang diasaskan oleh manusia bernama Gautama Buddha, disamakan juga dengan Kristian, Taoism dan Bahai,” katanya.

"This is something that is really terrifying because Islam is seen as equal to Buddhism, that was established by a man named Gautama Buddha, which is also equated to Christianity, Taoism, and Bahai," he said.

Beliau berkata demikian kepada Utusan Malaysia ketika diminta mengulas ucapannya semasa majlis penyerahan Dana Zakat Program Didik Cemerlang Akademik 2009 di Sungai Dua di sini semalam.

This was stated by him to Utusan Malaysia when asked to comment on his speech during the presentation ceremony of the Tithes Fund for the 2009 Acedemic Excellence Guidance Program, at Sungai Dua here yesterday.

Ketika berucap pada majlis tersebut, Shabudin melahirkan rasa kurang senangnya terhadap penubuhan Majlis Perundingan Antara Agama Pulau Pinang yang bertujuan meletakkan semua agama, termasuk agama Islam sebagai sama rata dengan agama-agama lain.

During his speech at the ceremony, Shabudin expressed his dissatisfaction on the setting up of the Pulau Pinang Inter-Faith Council, whose purpose was to put all religions, including Islam, as being equal.

Majlis tersebut ditubuhkan tahun lalu iaitu selepas kerajaan pakatan pembangkang yang diterajui Ketua Menteri, Lim Guan Eng mula memerintah negeri itu.

The council was set up last year, after the opposition front government, headed by Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng, started governing the state.

Majlis itu dipengerusikan Guan Eng sendiri. Mengulas lanjut, Shabudin yang juga Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Permatang Berangan, Tasek Gelugor berkata, agama Islam itu tinggi dan tidak ada yang lebih tinggi daripadanya.

The council is chaired personally by Guan Eng. Commenting further, Shabudin, who is also State Legislature Representative for Permatang Berangan, Tasek Gelugor, said, Islam is supreme, and there is no other above it.
(source: Utusan Malaysia front page story, February 24, 2009)

Okay, Walski's found the can opener... but rather than rehash or comment on the Islamic supremacy bit, let's scrutinize the report (to use the term loosely) a little, shall we?

It's quite obvious which part of the report would make Lim Guan Eng fume, being that the Chief Minister has denied the existence of such a council. If indeed Guan Eng is being accused of chairing an imaginary council, that would be slanderous. Not only that, to publicly make such a statement is really loony tunes idiotic.

In the report, it was also stated that MAINPP President Shabudin Yahaya is the state assemblyman for the Permatang Berangan district, making Shabudin an UMNO person. So, what the hell is the state religious council doing being politically partisan?

Ironically, the word "berangan", as in the place name Permatang Berangan, apart from meaning 'chestnut', can also mean fantasizing. Which appears to be exactly what Shabudin Yahaya was doing, in conjuring up a council that doesn't exist. Fantasizing is what one also commonly does when playing with their Pee-Pee. But let's not get too far off-topic.

Either that, or the man was plainly, and simply, lying. While in his capacity as President of the state Islamic religious council, no less. Last Walski checked, lying is still a sin. In any religion, including Islam.

See what happens when politics is mixed with religion? Everybody's reputation gets soiled with plenty of Pee-Pee stains. Upon closer scrutiny, this is a case where UMNO is blatantly using an Islamic religious institution to incite fear and hatred. And they know exactly which buttons to push.

And as far as inciting religious fear and hatred, UMNO is as much guilty of seditous incitement as anyone else. Fanning the fire, of course, is their own sorry excuse for a newspaper, Utusan - the purveyor of lies to the people (which is loosely what Penyebar Fitnah Rakyat translates to).

The damage, Walski's afraid, may already have been done. There are a lot of Malays who believe whatever's printed in the Utusan, as if it were divinely revealed stuff. Especially when the person making the claims is the president of the state religious council. No verification necessary... just swallow, and ask for more blessings... hook, line, and Pee-Pee sinker.

Or, more aptly in this case, stinker.

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