Showing posts with label Mahathir. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mahathir. Show all posts
Monday, June 4, 2012
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Mohamed Rahmat | Confessions of a Spin Master
“I had to bring Malay loyalty back to Umno. And I had to raise a presumption that anybody who supported (Team B led by Tengku Razaleigh then) was not loyal. I went all out in this psychological warfare.”
“The Malays were numb to political arguments ... I needed something that penetrated the heart. I needed a song.”
Read MORE .........
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Tuesday, November 22, 2011
ISA | Remembering the Memali Tragedy
Memali:
A bloody struggle against ISA
A bloody struggle against ISA
It has been 26 years past since a sad, bloodied, dark historical spot and unforgetable event took place in Malaysia.
The nation then was led by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad as PM while Tun Musa Hita, his deputy, was Minister of Internal Affairs. The event, dubbed "Tragedi Memali"[Memali Tragedy] took place in Kampung Memali, in a small district of Siong, Baling, Kedah.
Baling District is a special place for its numerous hitorical events that had taken place there, one of which was Rundingan Baling pada 1955 [1955 Baling Conference] between Persekutuan Tanah Melayu [Federation of Malaya] and Parti Komunis Malaya, PKM, [Malayan Communist Party.
The Demonstrasi Baling [Baling Demonstration] spurred by poverty issues happened there too.
As-Syahid Ibrahim Libya and 13 of followers were butchered by security forces equipped with automatic weapons and armoured vehicles.
The Malaysian Government sent 3,500 security forces men to confront Ibrahim Libya and followers together with Kampung Memali villagers.
At the time, the Malaysian Government justified the killings that Ibrahim Libya committed subversive acts and preached deviant Islamic teachings.
The charges were later varied - as-syahid[religious struggle] was purported to be subversive with intent to cause public disorder.
Who was Ibrahim Libya?
The late Ibrahim Libya was born in 1944 during the Japanese Occupation Of Malaya in Kampung Carok Putih nearby Kampung Memali.He was schooled by his father, a well peer respected man in Islamic and religious education in his village.
Ibrahim continued his Islamic studies in India, Egypt and Libya and on completion returned home in 1970.
He served in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO/JPM) as a preacher in Pusat Islam (Islamic Center). His religious talks accorded him popularity as a religious speaker and he became a regular over RTM1 [Radio Television Malaysia 1].
He then left JPM [PMO] and worked as a preacher with the Libyan Government. On completion of his services he reurned to his village, Kampung Memali.
A religious school, madrasah, was started for Ibrahim and he commenced thereon with his religious teaching. His competency soon earned him wide acclaim and he gave talks through the length and breadth of Kedah.
On joining PAS Ibrahim Libya stood for local parliamentary elections in 1978 in Bayu, a constituency in Baling District.
He obtained 5,081 votes against 6,169 of his BN opponent. In the subsequent election in the same consituency he contested again but lost.
The "Sins" of Ibrahim Libya
Ibrahim Libya posed a threat to "particular figures" worrried over his rising popularity. Left unchecked he could pose serious threats to them.According to Senator Yusuf Husin, whom this writer met several years back, Ibrahim Libya became a threat to the Government as his cogent speeches moved listeners for changes in national leadership.
Ibrahim Libya became a thorn in the side of Malaysian Government leaders and which prompted the call for his detention under Akta Keselamatan Negeri/ISA [Internal Security Act]. Had the ISA not been forced on Ibrahim Libya, he might have cooperated with the Authorities provided there was due process of law.
The Government's ISA stand drove Ibrahim resolute in his stand and he refused be coerced by draconian laws he regarded as an affront to human rights and values. His followers and his pupils stood similarly firm and solid to protect him.
Kampung Memali was surrounded by thousands of security forces to capture Ibrahim Libya and his followers.
On 19 November 1985 Ibrahim Libya and his followers were martyred as they fell from the assault by Malaysian security forces.
Amongst those alive today under detention included Yusuf Husin.
A symbol of struggle against the ISA.
Ibrahim Libya and 13 others who fell endure as symbols of unrelenting struggles against the ISA.On the 25th anniversary of the Memali tragedy, Ahmad Lutfi Othman in his editorial wrote:
"He (Read: Ibrahim Libya) fought against the ISA not in memoranda and demonstrations but by putting his life on the line. This is the most esteemed record in the struggle against ISA."
Aptly put Ahmad Lufti euologized Ibrahim Libya's and his followers' sacrifices in steadfastly refusing to be cowed and which symbolized Malaysian citizens unrelenting struggle against the ISA.
One day, if the ISA is abolished a muzium should commemorate these Memali martyrs to remind future generations that the ISA not only robs the freedom of thousands from due legal process. It does and extinguishes lives.
On a personal note I look upon the Memali Tragedy as unfinished bizness.
Unfinished Symphony |
The result of such investigation should be told to Malaysians and the culprits directly responsible in this merciless acts be properly tried in a court of law.
Twenty six years after this blood letting historical event, the tragedy of Memali should be remembered. Annually throughout the year visitors streamed into the place to see for themselves the remnants of events past that remind them of the Memali tragedy.
Such was the heroism of Ibrahim Libya and his 13 followers. Salute to those martyrs. Salute because they fought against ISA. And Salute to the brave kampung folks of Memali. +
Part 1
Part 2 | Part 3
(From the Malay by Amin Iskandar, Translation by Salak)
Amin Iskandar was awarded the "Intelektual Awam Asia" (Asia Public Intellectual) 2009-10 for his studies on monitoring general elections in the Philippines and Indonesia. Amin blogs at www.aminiskandar.net and tweets at www.twitter.com.
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Saturday, January 3, 2009
Dear Mr President (Letter from Tun Mahathir to Obama)
January 1, 2009
Dear Mr. President,
I did not vote for you in the Presidential Election because I am Malaysian.
But I consider myself one of your constituents because what you do or say will affect me and my country as well.
I welcome your promise for change. Certainly your country, the United States of America needs a lot of changes.
That is because America and Americans have become the most hated people in the world. Even Europeans dislike your arrogance. Yet you were once admired and liked because you freed a lot of countries from conquest and subjugation.
It is the custom on New Year's day for people to make resolutions. You must have listed your good resolutions already. But may I politely suggest that you also resolve to do the following in pursuit of Change.
- Stop killing people. The United States is too fond of killing people in order to achieve its objectives. You call it war, but today's wars are not about professional soldiers fighting and killing each other. It is about killing people, ordinary innocent people by the hundreds of thousands. Whole countries will be devastated.
War is primitive, the cavemen's way of dealing with a problem. Stop your arms build up and your planning for future wars. - Stop indiscriminate support of Israeli killers with your money and your weapons. The planes and the bombs killing the people of Gaza are from you.
- Stop applying sanctions against countries which cannot do the same against you.
In Iraq your sanctions killed 500,000 children through depriving them of medicine and food. Others were born deformed.
What have you achieved with this cruelty? Nothing except the hatred of the victims and right-thinking people. - Stop your scientists and researchers from inventing new and more diabolical weapons to kill more people more efficiently.
- Stop your arms manufacturers from producing them. Stop your sales of arms to the world. It is blood money that you earn. It is un-Christian.
- Stop trying to democratize all the countries of the world. Democracy may work for the United States but it does not always work for other countries.
Don't kill people because they are not democratic. Your crusade to democratize countries has killed more people than the authoritarian Governments which you overthrew. And you have not succeeded anyway. - Stop the casinos which you call financial institutions. Stop hedge funds, derivatives and currency trading. Stop banks from lending non-existent money by the billions.
Regulate and supervise your banks. Jail the miscreants who made profits from abusing the system. - Sign the Kyoto Protocol and other international agreements.
- Show respect for the United Nations.
I have many other resolutions for change which I think you should consider and undertake.
But I think you have enough on your plate for this 2009th year of the Christian Era.
If you can do only a few of what I suggest, you will be remembered by the world as a great leader. Then the United States will again be the most admired nation. Your embassies will be able to take down the high fences and razor-wire coils that surround them.
May I wish you a Happy New Year and a great Presidency.
Yours Sincerely,
Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad
(Former Prime Minister of Malaysia)
Published by Centre for Research on Globalization
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