Truth that Cannot Be Cover - Bersih 2.0 09/07/2011

Jesus Christ, Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi and many other scarified to the welfare of people… Soldiers protect the nations with their life during invasion for the safety of people… Thus, to those who are blessed today and those who are in power as of minister or police force, please remember those good deeds done by many in the past for you, directly or indirectly… Please do not trade the Rakyat’s freedom and rights for your own comfort or pleasure… Bersih had scarified themselves not only for a fair, free and clean election but a better future for Malaysian. Please appreciate them.

净化黑暗的政治

《哈利波特》系列电影的最后一集即将上映，万众期待哈利波特与黑魔王伏地魔将如何决一死战。与此同时，马来西亚人民也长期饱受黑暗政治的折腾。

整个国家充斥着欺骗，恐惧和贪婪的诅咒。当权派是如此强大，任何人不得批评国阵政权的弊端。

如今，许多颜色都被禁止，即橙色（因为声称是与兴权委员会‘Hindraf’有关），黑色（赵明福命案）和黄色（净选盟）。我不知道下一个被禁止的颜色是否为青色，因为回教党拒绝与巫统的合并献议，不肯与之联手对抗净选盟。

某些字眼也是不能被提起，最轰动的莫过于涉及C4 -军工爆炸谋杀案有关的国家和牵涉在此案中的人物。

在这里，我想引用诺贝尔经济学奖得主罗纳德科斯(Ronald Coase)的理论。

他指出，虽然有很多关于如何组织工业的作品，但是却忽略了决定组织存在的重要部分。

什么决定一间公司的做法呢？要回答这个问题，科斯强调，有必要了解为什么一间公司存在的原因。

举例许多被禁止的活动，如烈火莫熄 (Reformasi )，人民力量（Makkal Sakhti）和净选盟（Bersih），这是需要我们理解为什么它们会存在。在佛教教义中，有因就有果，或许科学和其他宗教也认同这一点。

在没有回答“为什么存在”的情况下，政府禁止人民走上街头集会的举动并没有平息人民不满的情绪。当权派这种欺骗性的诅咒，只是确保黑魔王及其亲信能继续掌权。

事实上，人民发动这种集会的起因不外是不能再忍受政府过度欺诈和抑制。人们不喜欢示威，可惜他们没有其他选择。

如果一个人拥有良好的生活，他不会希望自己成为窃贼，除非贪念作祟。

同样的道理，如果国阵政府是清廉、自由和公平的，那么净选盟集会的策划人将无法号召足够的支持者来抗议政府。

在马来西亚，有很多不真实及黑暗的诅咒需要 “净化”。首先，政府不等于国阵（这仅是一个政治联盟）。

政府属于人民，所以国阵不需要以血肉之躯捍卫布城。人民只需要一个公正的选举，让人民决定政府。

第二，警察、司法、选举委员会和反贪会应该在分权体制之下为国家和人民服务，而并非由任何政党操控。

我曾经在透明国际论坛上提问，如果首相影响这些组织的高层决策，那么这些组织的独立性是否该受到质疑。

一名选举委员会的高层代表作出回答，但是他的答案令现场观众哄堂大笑。

他说：“我们的领导层是遵从最高元首的指示。”然后，他停顿了几秒钟，继续说：“……在首相的建议之下。”

因此，当执法单位的许多决定都被批评为偏袒时，是一件不足为奇的事情。

第三 ， 我们亲眼看到和亲耳听到的都不能被视为事实，因为所有主流媒体直接受到产业股权或规章制度的控制。

因此，国阵不敢对其他资讯管道掉以轻心，包括网上新闻、部落格、YouTube和面子书，毕竟他们所能管制的范围是有限的。

问题是，主流媒体不断重复地向少接触网络的阶层作出不实报道，导致一些乐龄人士，教育水平不高的民众和郊区的村民对谎言信以为真。

事实上，通过不正确的教育，欺骗的种子已经开始在青少年的思维散播，减低了他们批判性的思维能力。

同时，教学准证的要求、印刷法令、煽动法令、严苛的内安法令和法律的威胁使批评国阵政府的人士噤声。

黑暗的统治者利用贪婪的诅咒，以确保获得更多亲信的支持。

然而，最惊人的欺骗法术还是施于一个马来西亚运动上。

“一个马来西亚”的宣传口号无孔不入，我们的日常生活离不开“Salam 1 Malaysia”，“Cuti-cuti 1 Malaysia”和“一个马来西亚商店”。一切标榜着一个马来西亚来显示国阵并非种族主义者。

事实上，一个马来西亚的存在就是种族主义。有一个比较抽象的哲学理论可以用来解除这种诅咒。

这是一个“无”和“被虚无化”的问题。在这种情况下，“无”被称为“无”的东西。

当你在想：“我没有思考什么”，你实际上是在思考！我思故我在。

因此，当有一个口号提醒我们要“非种族主义”或提醒华巫印必须是一体的，那么这意味着种族主义在发酵。

因此，非种族主义是““被虚无化”，这意味着我们不需要理会这个问题。

此外，国阵政府对土著权威组织（Perkasa）和马来西亚前锋报(Utusan)保持沉默的举动，完全与他们的竞选活动自相矛盾。

然而，黑暗的政治已经在马来西亚根深蒂固，无论是哈利波特和他的霍格沃茨团队，还是民联和净选盟都不能在一夜之间将它消除。

他们在上届大选看到曙光，但仍然不足以实现理想。黑暗的政治依然是马来西亚的危机。马来西亚人希望终有一天可以看到光明。

[此文译自'Bersih' the dark politics in Malaysia, 刊登于2011年6月30日《当今大马》英文专栏]

Malaysia: UN rights office concerned at reported crackdown ahead of planned protests

(Source: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=38935&Cr=expression&Cr1=)

5 July 2011 – The United Nations human rights office today voiced concern about measures being taken by authorities in Malaysia, including restricting freedom of expression, ahead of a peaceful demonstration scheduled for this Saturday.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has recently been receiving reports of a crackdown, including harassment, intimidation, arrests and threats, targeting members of the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih).

“According to reliable sources, at least 150 people have been summoned, arrested or charged, including a number of opposition members of Parliament,” Rupert Colville, OHCHR’s spokesperson in Geneva, told reporters.

The authorities have also reportedly arrested activists simply for possessing Bersih’s distinctive yellow T-shirts and campaign pamphlets, he added.

“We are very concerned about the various measures that are being taken by the authorities to restrict freedom of expression in Malaysia, including preventive detention, and the Government’s decision to reportedly declare Bersih an unlawful organization,” said Mr. Colville.

“We call on the authorities to release all those being detained for peacefully exercising their freedom of expression.”

'Bersih' the dark politics in Malaysia

Har Wai Mun [June 30, 2011]
[Source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/168518]

As the world waits for the final instalment of Harry Potter battling the dark Lord Voldermort, Malaysians have also been battered by dark politics for a long time.

The whole country is cast with the curses of deception, fear and greed. These are so powerful that no one shall speak badly about the BN regime.

Nowadays, many colors are banned, namely orange (as it is claimed to be associated with Hindraf movement), black (Teoh Beng Hock) and Yellow (Bersih). I wonder the next color will be green as PAS gave UMNO a damn "no" to their unholy merger proposal through the Bersih.

Words are not spared either; most sensational are the name of the country associated with the brutal murder by C4-military grade explosion and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Associated-With-The-Case.

Allow me to draw your attention to the thoughts of Ronald Coase, a Nobel Prize in Economics recipient.

While amazed with the richness and complexity of literatures on how industries are organised, he pointed out the important missing piece - the determinant of the organisation of industry.

What determines what a firm does? To answer that question, Coase highlighted the necessary to understand why a firm exists at all.

Back to the many "banned" rallies like the Reformasi, Makkal Sakhti and Bersih, it is necessary for us to understand why they exist. In Buddhism, or perhaps also in science and other religions, when there is an effect, there is a cause(s).

Banning the demonstration rally without answering "why it exists" will not solve any antagonism of the people but it is a deceptive curse to ensure the dark lord and its cronies remain in power.

In fact, the cause bringing rise to such a rally is that the people no longer can tolerate the excessive manipulation and suppression from the ruling government. The people do not like to demonstrate but unfortunately they have no other alternative.

A thief may not wish to be a thief if he has a good standard of living, unless the curse of greed has corrupted his mind.

The Bersih rally organisers will not be able to gather enough supporters if the ruling government is clean, free and fair. Indeed, it is the BN ruling government that gives birth and supports the rally.

In Malaysia, there are plenty deceptive dark curses that need to be cleaned (di-BERSIH-kan). First and foremost, the government is not equal to BN (which is merely a political coalition).

The government belongs to its people, thus there is no need for BN to defend Putrajaya with their blood. Just have a bersih general election and lets the people to determine the government.

Second, the police, judiciary, Election Commission and MACC work for the country and its people under the separation of powers system, and not for any political party.

I once asked in a Transparency International's forum on how independent these organisations are, when the appointment of their top brass is influenced by the prime minister.

The answer from a high ranked representative from Election Commission sparked laughter from the audiences.

He said: "Our top management is appointed by the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong". He then paused for few seconds and continued: "... on the advice of the prime minister".

Therefore, one will not be surprised that many decisions by the law enforcement bodies are being criticised as biased.

Third - what we see and hear cannot be taken as truth. All mainstream media is controlled either directly through equity ownership or rules and regulations.

Thus, the BN has been so scared of alternative channels from online news to blogs, YouTube and Facebook, which they have minimum control.

The problem is that when lies are told repeatedly through mainstream media to non-information savvy like senior citizens, the lesser educated and rural folk, lies are taken as truth.

Indeed, the seed of deception has been planted into the minds of young children through improper education that dampens critical thinking.

Meanwhile, teaching permit requirements, printing acts, sedition acts, a draconian ISA and threats of prosecution by the law have gagged many voices of criticism against the BN government.

The curse of greed casted on its cronies is added to ensure much needed support to the dark regime.

Yet, the most astonishing deception spell has been cast on the 1Malaysia campaign.

It's promoted aggressively into our daily life from "Salam 1Malaysia" to "Cuti-cuti 1Malaysia" and "Kedai 1Malaysia". Everything is 1Malaysianised to show that BN is non-racist.

Indeed, the existence of 1Malaysia itself is racist. There is a rather abstract philosophical reasoning to counter this curse.

It is a matter of "nothing" and "being nothing (nothingness)". In this case, "nothing" is something called "nothing".

When you think: "I think nothing," you are actually thinking!

So, having a slogan to remind us to be "non-racist" or a practice to ensure there must be a combination of Malay, Indian and Chinese in everything, implies racist thinking.

Thus being non-racist is "being nothing", meaning we don't need to bother with this issue at all.

Furthermore, the silence of BN government on Perkasa and Utusan Malaysia is completely contradictory to what they are campaigning.

Nonetheless, the darkness has rooted too deep in Malaysia that neither Harry Potter and his Hogwarts gang nor Pakatan Rakyat and Bersih can dispel it overnight.

They came close in the previous general election but it was still not enough. Dark politics remains a hazard in Malaysia. But there is always hope that there will be a time when Malaysians can see the light.