PAS 54th Annual Conference

Some Pics just came in from the PAS 54th Annual Conference held in Ipoh, Perak today.

Malaysia's opposition leader (left) and Haron Din of PAS arrive for the PAS 54th Annual Conference in Ipoh, Perak.

Anwar Ibrahim sharing some light moments with leaders of PAS before the start of the conference.

Anwar Ibrahim and wife Wan Azizah upon the arrival of the PAS president Hadi Awang (R) at the beginning of the Conference.

Knock-Out Punch from Permatang Pauh?

This Mother of all Election of a By Election will be the focus of the nation and the region and Permatang Pauh is all geared up for the election with the nomination day tomorrow the 16th August 2008 for the Permatang Pauh Parliamentary By Election.

(pic of Permatang Pauh all geared for the by election)



Was informed that there is a new electoral roll gazetted on 19th June 2008 with about 10000 new voters and however this could not be confirmed yet. The old electoral votes has some 56000 voters and was won by Wan Azzizah by a majority of more than 13000 votes.



Anwar Ibrahim the defacto leader of the Pakatan Rakyat will face the BN canditate Arif Shah Omar Shah a 52 year old businessman and the Seberang Jaya state assemblyman an umno branch chairman of Kalui.

Anwar is expected to win this by election and speculation is rife about winning a greater majority and can the BN candidate keep his deposit.

The question is that will the voters of Permatang Pauh deliver the knock-out punch to the Barisan Nasional paving the way for the "Prime Minister in waiting".


The blogging community will be in Permatang Pauh to witness this historical event in the making and we are now starting our journey and shall report from there on the latest update of events and plenty of photos coming your way.

What to do with Outdated Laws?

The criminal defamation law begins centuries ago and was enacted in the British Empire in 1792 and apparently the law was to protect breaches of peace as the chivalry of men in those medieval years to call for a duel at the pretext of defense of honor. And here in Malaysia it is a left over of the colonial days where we inherited the British legal system.

However the history of criminal libel is also notoriously intertwined with government attempts to suppress criticism in the early centuries. This law has been unfairly used to protect political leaders and their government which stifle free speech and criticism.

One USA federal court judge recently called the law as “ignominious” demonstrates just how slowly laws are being updated in modern times.

Defamation at most should just be of civil nature where civil charges of libel and slander are brought about in civil courts and should not be of criminal in nature.

Human rights organizations and other organizations have campaigned against criminal defamation laws as it contravenes the basic human rights of “Freedom of Speech” and the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights forming the basis of International Human Rights Law.

A recent report by Human Rights Watch states that the sodomy charges were filed under an antiquated law, a holdover from British colonial rule, that criminalizes “carnal intercourse against the order of nature,” both consensual and non-consensual. Human Rights Watch opposes all laws used to criminalize consensual homosexual conduct between adults, and urged the Malaysian authorities to repeal those provisions while replacing those on non-consensual sexual acts with a modern, gender-neutral law on rape. (Read HERE).

There is a general consensus that laws are not being updated in these modern times and authoritarian regimes have taken advantage of out-dated laws against dissenters and oppositions. And such responsibilities lie not only with governments and political bodies, the legal fraternity like the bar councils and civil societies should hold equal responsibilities in cultivating and setting up the legal infrastructure fundamental for the growth of a democratic nation.

A slogan from Human Rights Watch:

Human Rights Watch believes that international standards of human rights apply to all people equally, and that sharp vigilance and timely protest can prevent the tragedies of the twentieth century from recurring. At Human Rights Watch, we remain convinced that progress can be made when people of good will organize themselves to make it happen.

Judicious Judiciary

Lets be judicious about our judiciary!

Extend your fervent support for the petition to the King as initiated by Haris of The People's Parliament!

Don't let them have it their way in planting their cronies everywhere, you now have an oppurtunity to express your views through the petition to the Yang Di Pertuan Agong on the Appointment of the Chief Justice.

At pages 174 and 175 of its report presented to His Majesty on 9th May, 2008, the Royal Commission of Inquiry mandated to look into the matter of the VK Lingam video, in recommending the formation of a Judicial Appointments Commission, observed as follows:

‘…there is cause for concern about how judges in the upper echelons of the judiciary were appointed and the selection criteria employed. More specifically the evidence has disclosed inherent flaws and weaknesses regarding the process of appointment and promotion of High Court judges as well as the Chief Judge Malaya, President Court of Appeal and the Chief Justice of the Federal Court…Having heard the evidence presented to the Commission in relation to the video clip it would seem clear that the appointment and promotion of judges of the higher judiciary is open to interference and manipulation by the Executive and other extrinsic forces including private citizens…the inherent weaknesses in the process of appointment of judges and its vulnerability to interference and manipulation could result in extreme damage to the independence of the judiciary in particular and to the country in general’.

We, the rakyat, are now gravely disappointed with recent media reports that several Cabinet ministers, notably from UMNO, have rejected the proposal by the Law Minister for the establishment of the Judicial Appointments Commission and that the Law Minister had recently confirmed that there would now not be sufficient time during the present sitting of Parliament to table a bill for the purposes of establishing the Judicial Appointments Commission.

THE SIGNATORIES ARE NOW AT 5635 (updated 2.12pm 15 Aug). GO DO IT NOW AND GET YOUR FRIENDS RELATIVES TO JOIN IN!

LETS GET HOT ABOUT THIS CAMPAIGN AND SHOW THEM THAT WE THE RAKYAT ARE BURNING HOT ABOUT RESTORING JUSTICE TO THE JUDICIARY!!!!!

GO HERE NOW! http://www.petitiononline.com/6ai18u26/petition.html

Nation Truly In Distress

In support of the call by Sheih of Kickdefella (read HERE) to fly the National Flag upside down as a mark of a Nation in Distress.

The BN's promises of reform made since 2004 to give the people greater freedom and equality and a just legal system and prosperity are all empty and hollow and instead we see greater deterioration in all aspect in the management of the country.

The people feels that there is gross mishandling and manipulation of the legal and judicial system and the oppressive laws are being endlessly used to itimidate the good people of this country while criminals and murderers gets to walk freely.

Just got news of a friend ending up in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital after he was being beaten and chop up by knife wielding thiefs who broke in to his house in Subang and luckily he survived the ordeal with more than 70 stitches all over his body.

Every other day we hear news and stories of break ins, robberies, rape and murders and even today as reported by the NST that a housewife was murdered during a robbery in her home in Johor and a Star report that a 90 year old masseuse was rob and found dead in her home at Klang. What is the government doing about the rising crime rate, people are not safe even in their own homes.

Unsolved murders, crimes, rapes, missing children, and etc and etc and etc and not to mentioned that we also have missing PI and family and missing doctor and family but when it comes to sodomy we are an expert and highly effective and you have prime minister, ministers deputy ministers and the whole dang government making all the call for justice for saifool. @#X&%!

Talk too much and they throw the sediton act on you with every intention of intimidating and scaring the people from talking against them, where is the fundamental basic right for the people, the right to the freedom of expression! Truly a nation in distress!

And about the economy as in my earlier post titled Then & Now we are lagging far behind our neighbours and lesser nations are now catching up with us as can be seen on the rankings of country on the comparison of (GDP) per capita income (the yearly national income divided equally among the citizens) where Malaysia ranks at no. 63 out of 180 countries and for comparison Botswana is at no 59 (4 rankings above) as i remembered Botswana an African country used to be one of the poorest in the world! And Singapore our little neighbor is at no.21 climbing above Japan at no.22. and if there is any comfort we are above Brazil at no.64 and Kazakhstan at no.65 and Argentina at no.66. For Full LIst Go HERE.

Tian Chua Condemns By-Election on 26 August 2008

Keadilan information chief Tian Chua condemned the authorities' decision to hold the vote on a Tuesday, instead of on the weekend which is usual practice. "I think the reason they are having it on a weekday is to reduce the turnout," he said. "This is a deliberate action to inconvenience the voters. We condemn the Election Commission for their decision." "We fear there could be rigging. We urge our supporters not to be complacent, it is going to be a tough battle but we are confident of victory," he said. -AFP/vm

Report from Channel News Asia HERE

Sodomy Charge on Thursday

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said Wednesday he had been informed he would be formally charged with sodomy on Thursday -- a crime punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment. "They are charging me tomorrow. It's for sodomy," Anwar told AFP, adding that the authorities had informed him of the move in a letter.

Calling it a sham trial, he blamed Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for orchestrating the trial in order to protect himself (Abdullah).

"This is a man under siege - and he sees no way out but to deflect the attention of the Malaysian people with a sham trial against me," said Anwar at a press conference held at PKR headquarters this afternoon. "I hold the prime minister responsible for bringing damage to this nation with this sham trial," he said.

"We are also informed that some individuals within the Prime Minister's close circles are adamant about pursuing this case."Their involvement further undermines the credibility of the case and proves that the entire conspiracy hatched against me is politically motivated," he added.

The former deputy prime minister also said that he might have to be absent from campaigning as well as during polling for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election as a result of the court case against him.


Report from Straits Times Singapore HERE and Malaysiakini HERE