Peaceful Assembly Bill

THIS IS GOING TO IMPACT YOUR EVERYDAY LIVES, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE THAT DO NOT GIVE A CRAP ABOUT POLITICS UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE AND ENDED UP IN JAIL ALL BECAUSE YOU WERE CARRYING A PAIR OF CHOPSTICKS!

To put the Peaceful Assembly Bill (PAB) bluntly, the rights to assembly is determined 100% by the police on who and where can do what and when. Or to put it in a Malaysian way, if the police were to wonder around "doing their everyday job", all they have to do is simply approach a gang of people and ask if they have the appropriate "approval" or not. If no, then you better prepare some duit kopi or go to court and pay up to RM20,000.

Our Home Minister, Hishammuddin, in his speech, announced on public television 2 (maybe 3) days ago, that

"... dengan akta baru, awak kena faham, tak perlu permit pun! Perlu maklum saja kepada pihak berkuasa! Dan bukan tak ada sekatan kepada perhimpunan malah mereka membenarkan perhimpunan diadakan."

(... with the new law, you have to understand that the need for a permit is no longer needed! You just have to tell the right authorities only! There will be no roadblocks (I think this was what he was trying to say, because in BM, it says there is roadblock) and the assembly will also be approved.)

http://www.youtube.com/user/malaysiakini?feature=grec_index#p/u/10/xo1MVCiGAj8

Sounds good right? But wait, there is a catch. According to Subsection 9(1), we must inform the right authorities 30 days prior to the event. By the way, Myanmar just gave out a similar assembly bill recently but it only requires 5 days (Kit Siang: M’sia lebih teruk dari Myanmar, FreeMalaysiaToday, 26 November 2011)! Furthermore, IF the person went against the 30 day rule, he is LIABLE to a fine of up to RM10,000 (Subsection 9(5)).

In lay men’s term, if you want to go shopping with a group of friends, you MUST inform the right authorities 30days in advance or if a police ever finds out that you did not notify them of your “assembly”, you WILL be liable to a fine of up to RM10,000.

Amazing, is it not? “Fortunately”, subsection 9(2)(b) allows us to have certain assemblies without having the need to inform the authorities. So maybe we actually CAN have SOME assemblies without notifying the authorities (Religious, funeral, wedding, open houses during festivities, family gatherings, family day and general meetings of societies or associations). But WAIT! Because according to the Right to Assemble Peaceably and Without Arms, there ARE still some terms and conditions that must be fulfilled!

(By the way, Arms as defined by this bill means firearm, ammunition, explosive, corrosive, injurious or obnovious substance, STICK, stone, or ANY WEAPON OR OBJECT, WHICH BY ITS NATURE CAN BE USED TO INCITE FEAR OR CAUSE INJURY TO PERSON, OR DAMAGE TO PROPERTY.)

Apparently, according to subsection 4(1), if we were to ever hold an assembly that is allowed within the Third Schedule (lets say a funeral), but if your spouse or friend or family friend who is NOT a Malaysian citizen but also attended the funeral, then the organizer is liable to a fine of up to RM10,000.

More interestingly, family gatherings are (PAB is ambiguous in so many ways so please check it up and correct me on this part if I am wrong) constricted to FAMILIES ONLY (hence, FAMILY gathering. Outsiders in your family gathering will be deem an illegal assembly and NOT a family gathering unless given 30days notice)! Actually, to be more specific, it should be constricted to family members who are MALAYSIAN CITIZENS! So if one day you get caught in a family gathering because a non-family member (your maid for example) is there, you are liable to a fine of up to RM10,000.

Oh and one more thing, is your maid a Malaysian citizen? Hm...

To make matters even more laughable, EVERY CHINESE during their lunch or dinner with their family members (this is considered a family gathering) must all start eating with fork and spoon because Arms as defined by PAB include sticks. Then again, I am not sure if fork can be categorized under Arms because it does say that anything that can be used to incite fear or cause injury is considered Arms. What say you?

By the way, before I forget, assembly is defined as gatherings of the public, outdoors or indoors and it does not matter if the venue is ordinarily open to the public or if it is private venue. (WOW)

What this means is no more sleepovers, no more straight As celebration and yes, you cannot go to cyber cafes and play Call of Duty anymore with your friends. Especially for those under 21 because no one under 21 can assemble in relation to the organization of an assembly according to Subsection 4(1)(d). Tough being a Malaysian is it not? Fortunately the government was fair enough to allow everyone under 21 to not attend any school assemblies anymore unless the school actually gives the government a 30 day notice.

After much hoo-hahs about assemblies, lets go to where can we organize an assembly IF we ever want to assemble and granted that we CAN assemble. Well, according to subsection 4(1)(b) and the First Schedule, the prohibited places are within 50 metres from these places:

1. Damns, reservoirs and water catchment areas
2. Water treatment plants
3. Electricity generating stations
4. Petrol stations
5. Hospitals
6. Fire stations
7. Airports
8. Failways, I mean Railways
9. Land public transport terminals
10. Ports, canals, docks, wharves, piers, bridges and marinas
11. Places of worship
12. Kindergartens and schools

NOTE : Our forest and jungles are considered water catchment areas.

What this bill is trying to say is that although the Third Schedule allows us to attend religious assemblies, we are not allowed to do so in any places of worship. If you want to buy a new house, and if you ever want to have an open house for it, please do NOT buy a house that is within 50 metre radius of any schools, kindergartens, land public transport terminals including bus or taxi stands and also railways. Lastly, if the school EVER DOES give the police a 30 day notice that it would like to have a morning assembly, they CANNOT do it within 50 metre radius of any kindergartens and schools.

So what will happen if anyone ever does oppose the police because of their daily assembly? Imagine a group of aunties with lots of shopping items ranging from clothes to dining and/or kitchen wares (remember the chopstick story above?) to high heels. Technically according to PAB, they ARE carrying arms. The police officer (under subsection 21(2)), in exercising the power to disperse an assembly under this section, MAY USE ALL REASONABLE FORCE after...after...oh wait, NO WARNINGS NEEDED. This means that those aunties are subject to tear gas, water cannons, batons, bazookas and what not if the police thinks that they are “within reasonable force”.

OK! So when Najib said he was going to give birth to the BEST democracy in the world in Malaysia, I am pretty sure he means it with all his heart because this is seriously the BEST law in the world and is only suitable for the BEST democratic country. And when Hisham said "...malah mereka membenarkan perhimpunan diadakan", he too actually mean it with all his heart, just that we must fulfill some of his terms and conditions before we can have an assembly. By Monday, which is the third hearing, IF the law is passed, we can expect to see no more aunties in Malaysia and yes, Malaysia can indeed be more peaceful with the very peaceful Peaceful Assembly Bill.

*Note, I am not a lawyer nor have I studied law before, but if you ever have doubts in any of my explanations, go read it up yourself.

PAB can be gotten from : http://www.perlembagaanku.com.my/2011/11/peaceful-assembly-bill-2011/

**Credits to David Teoh for explaining some of the stuff and throwing in some of the jokes for this bill in Global Bersih Day yesterday**

I do not want a choice. But can I?

Migration has existed since the existence of men because migration means going to a better place for these people to ensure survival. In modern times, the better place tends to be one that can provide better opportunities, safer environment for our kids and better (control of our own) future.

Of course, migration is not as simple now as ancient times. When the ancient people migrate, they migrate with their families, friends, clans, and/or even the entire population (the great Exodus for example, a slave population). There were no visas too by the way, unlike modern times. When the modern people migrate, they migrate more commonly by themselves or with their partner. Settling down at the new place, and tell themselves their pop and mom will be ok back in Malaysia because they can now afford to hire a maid to take care of them.

Why did I say that it is relatively easier for ancient people to migrate in large groups while it is harder for modern people to migrate in smaller groups (or even individually)?

Firstly, our roots are more established here. It is easy to say, "I want to migrate to Australia because the money there is better. I will have a better future there compared to Malaysia". However, when it comes right down to it, can you? Can you sign that piece of document that proclaims you a citizen of a different country without feeling ANYTHING at all? If there is just ONE thing I learn that is important throughout my life in Malaysia, it is that if my family and friends have NEVER abandoned me before, why must I be the one to take this first step?

Secondly, our responsibility. When we migrate, even if we can let go our attachments for our friends, can we let go our attachment to our family? Especially the elders in our family - our parents and our grandparents. Our elders have lived and stayed in Malaysia for their whole life. They have deeper roots here. Just because you want to live overseas for your own future, does not justify that they too want to move there. What are they going to do there? They have no friends to talk to. Some do not even know English to began with. What makes you think they will be happy there? I have a few friends that actually carried the fear EVERYDAY not knowing what could have happened to their parents when their children who are suppose to take care of them, are not there.

Thirdly, culture. When we are married and have kids, we want our kids to be safe and sound. We want them to grow up to be the fine gentleman or lady that society can look up to and children to make role model of. However, more importantly, and MOST importantly, we want them to have the amazing childhood that we had. The childhood where we can go outside our neighbour's house and pluck their mango(es) and run back home quickly after that. Or cycle around the neighbourhood and make friends with the Ah Lian or Ah Beng that will be their future partner or best friend. Or even playing badminton on the streets, while pausing the game every two minutes when a car passes by. Or maybe even football in the park, and get chased by dogs every once in awhile. This is what we want for our children, a fun childhood that they too can cherish just as much as we do for eternity.

Forth and last reason, it is my home. Enough said.

I am pretty sure everyone of you would have at least thought of at least one of these before you migrate. And yet, the World Bank has estimated about 1 million people to have migrated from Malaysia in this 40years or so. The pull factor from Malaysia just through these 4 reasons alone are generally strong enough to pull one home. However, many Malaysians still can afford to shut their feelings coldly and choose a different country to call home. Why?

The reason is simple. Although it is my home, my home unfortunately does not welcome me. It does not see me fit to be it's child because I am differently coloured and I behave differently from what it wants me to be. It does not love me, even though I work hard, day and night, to fight for my home for me to call it, my home. It is this very painful one sided love that we bear for our country, that we have no choice but to make painful life decisions that will scar our souls eternally.

When I asked an Australian, will you migrate? They all answered no.

When I asked a Thai, will you migrate? They too answered, no.

When I asked an Indonesian, will you migrate? Some answered, no.

But when I asked a Malaysian, will you migrate? Everyone said yes.

The three non-Malaysians answered no because home is home, and home will forever be home. But the typical Malaysian answered yes because they do not have a choice.

Everyone has a place to call home. But we do not. Everyone was born with love, fed upon them to make them feel belong. But we were born to make painful decisions, based on a one sided love that although will never die, must be kept deep inside our hearts for the rest of our lives.

I do not want a choice. I also do not want Australia or make painful life decisions. I only want Malaysia. But, fellow Malaysians, can we?

Happenings in our beloved land, Malaysia

Written by an enlightened Malay (a market analyst)

The Malays Are Lost And Waylaid - At The Crossroads Of A Malay Dilemma

If you happen to travel around this country, check on the statistics, especially the pasar malam, find out who runs the stalls and their businesses? Check out our beloved Chow Kit Road, and see who owns the thriving commerce? Or visit the Pudu wet market and see who is shouting for customers at 4am (even before the cock crows).

Half the businesses now are with the foreigners, another half with other races, the Malays only have land titles left (especially reserve land of no value). All the GLC's are still in Malay hands, but not for long; otherwise all will be sold off in no time at all.
As a people, the Malays are not known for perseverance and enduring commitment. They have no business acumen. Being entrepreunerial is a steep climb for the man and the Malays have no stamina to stomach the strains and stresses. I speak from experience. They are easily swayed by circumstances. Hook wined by politicians' play.

More than half our local workforce are pendatangs (Indons, Myanmars, Nepals, Vietnamese, Banglas!)

This country is not only bankrupt as said by Idris Jala, but also - telah dilelongkan. The poorer of the majority Malays left behind will become beggars and mat rempit, mat gian, mat ragut and mat dadah (they are all subsidized by our government funding to buy their No 1 drugs of escapism to run away from a harsh reality - Metadon).
Who culled their own Malay race?
Nobody but UMNO-BN itself! I rest my case.

Since 1960s esp. during Dr Mahathir rules,UMNO has effectively carried out the population engineering of our country to ensure its own long-term survival by creating the myth of a two-pronged “Ketuanan Melayu” strategy of mind control.
“Ketuanan Melayu” for the majority Malay masses who are lulled and
numbed into a feeling of being superior over the non-Malays because of
their demographic numbers; and “Ketuanan Melayu” for the favoured
UMNOputra Malay political elites through the accumulation of massive material wealth and power for themselves and their cronies. And while UMNO has failed by almost any measure you chose to gauge them – good governance, ethics or morality – without question they have succeeded too well in the social engineering exercise after the bloody race
riots of May 13, 1969.

The duplicity of UMNO in proclaiming 1Malaysia - Satu Bangsa, Satu Negara -while all the while undertaking a relentless program to
whittle down the numbers of the non-Malays through a very precise and focused political initiative is breathtaking in its effectiveness!

Consider this -

In 1957:

– 45% of the population were Chinese
-- 12% of the population were Indians

In 2010:

– 25% of the population are Chinese
– 7% of the population are Indians

Over 600,000 Chinese and Indian Malaysians with red IC status were
rejected repeatedly when applying for citizenship and possibly 60% of
them had passed away due to old age.

Since 1957:

-- 2 million Chinese have emigrated
– 0.5 million Indians have migrated
– 3 million Indonesians came over to Malaysia to become Malaysian
citizens with Bumiputra status even if they stay less than 5 years.
(Nett gain 0.5 million and an additional of 3 million manufactured
Bumiputras like Muslim Indonesians). The most famous is none other
than Mohd Khir Toyo who stayed for 20 years but became MB of Selangor.

In the not too distant future, I reckon Malay bumiputras may have to worry about 2nd or 3rd generation Indonesian migrants, owing to the virtues of hard work and thrift taught by their parents, or
grandparents, would have surpassed the majority Malays in terms of
socio-economic progress.

Mohd Khir Toyo is smarter than most local-born Malays in terms of amassing his personal wealth at the shortest duration of time. Even Muhammad Muhammad Taib is no match for him. That's how smart Khir Toyo is.

Instead of teaching their people the virtues of hard work and
perseverance, the UMNO warlords are proclaiming Ketuanan Melayu to feed off the Chinese minorities like parasites. If not for the Chinese taxpayers, the Malays will be sleeping the five footways. Of course the Chinese isn't a threat - they are just workaholics - they want to
create wealth and prosperity so much so that no failures of any kind
is going to stop them. Not even the ultra Malay racists spewing blood
in their eyes or frothing venom in their mouths. It is envisaged the
Chinese demographics will dwindle to stabilise at 4per cent of the
overall Malaysian population but their accumulated wealth and economic
power will continue to rise to more than 75per cent of the overall GDP
of the country. That’s proof enough how steady and influential the
Chinese economic stranglehold over the majority Malays will become;
and we believe racial hatred and resentment is well likely to remain
for the next 50 years. They work hard for the money but we envy them
in our idleness.

Whereas the Indonesian newcomers went out to work before you become
awake and they are not home yet when you call it a day and went to
bed. Will the majority Malays consider them a threat when they
deservedly find new wealth? The Indonesians respect the Chinese for
their business acumen and diligence. Do the Malays think likewise if
not indulge in unguarded jealousy and envy?

Now the non-Malays are well aware of this tinkering and engineering of
our population and it would do us Malays no good to say that it was
UMNO’s doing and that we had no hand in what happened at the end of
the day. As a Malay I was then comfortable that UMNO was the dominant partner in the Barisan Nasional. It was indeed comforting to know that Malays controlled four of the five major banks. We were also in control of UMBC, MISC and Southern Bank – all previously owned by the Chinese. But seemingly the Chinese-owned Public Bank which is not in our control is moving ahead of the others still in economic prowess and competitive skills. What’s wrong with our control?

Education?

Between 1968 to 2000:

– 48 Chinese primary schools shut down
– 144 Indian primary schools closed
– 2637 Malay Primary Schools were built

Of the total government budget for these schools, 2.5% were for the
Chinese, 1% for the Indians and a whopping 96.5% for the Malay primary schools.

The fact that 2637 Malay primary schools were built between 1968 to
2000 implied that the engineered process of retarding our majority
Malays or bumiputras is getting obvious. At the end of their school
lives, they have nowhere to go except to stay put in this country, as
like idiots they have nowhere else to go because everywhere they are
faced with a serious language problem and a communication breakdown with others. They will, like it or not, have to support the Ketuanan Melayu concept to survive for their freebies or welfare. The mentality is - No need to work and money will still come. Scions of the rich and wealthy UMNOputras will be educated overseas and return to continue to rule over their poorer local stupid cousins.

Petronas petrol stations?

Of the 2000 station the Malays owned 99%. Yes…we the Malays were
indeed in control. In control of what? We were in control of all the
business licenses and permits for Taxis and Approved Permits (APs).

We were in control of Government contracts of which 95% were given to Malays.

We were in control of the rice trade through Bernas that bought over
80% of Chinese rice millers in Kedah. Even Robert Kuok aka Sugar King was forced to sell his sugar franchise to UMNO crony interests so that the Malays are deemed to be in control of the sugar market; and the other essential basic items.

We were in control of bus companies. Throughout Malaysia, MARA buses could be seen plying all the routes. Non-Malays were simply displaced by having their application for bus routes and for new buses rejected. Many local Chinese owned bus companies are already kaput in the urban centres.

Every new housing estate being built had a mosque or a surau. None, I
repeat “no” temples or churches were built for any housing estate even
if the majority residents are non Malays! We even blare the loudspeakers in every mosque calling for Azan at maximum volume just so to tell the non Malays and non Muslims that we are in control!

So why with control over all these highly visible entities and business opportunities are the majority Malays still unable to stand tall and with pride over and above the non-Malays? We are unable to so do because it was not the Malays that benefited from these opportunities - only the favoured UMNOputras enjoyed the benefits, and the poorer among the majority Malays were merely taken for a ride as their name were used by UMNO to hijack the national agenda. The Chinese bogeyman and the Malay hobbyhorse work wonders for UMNO to play one against the other in their evil scheme of Divide and Rule to suit their survival plan.

Why must UMNO constantly harped about the need to spoon-feed the
majority Malays – about Ketuanan Melayu when it is already in place
and about Bumiputra status and all the privileges and rights that goes
with that special status?

And as a Malay I want to ask the non-Malays why you still chose to
live in a country whose racist government has by its actions and deeds
done whatever it could to make you not feel welcomed as a Pendatang?
The non-Malays I know have all told me the same thing – Malaysia is
their country – they know of no other country they can call their own. And so they stay and put up with the abuses and nonsense.

The difference now is that there are enough Malays who are ashamed by the nihilistic antics of this ultra racist Malay political
organization call UMNO. There are enough Malays to tell the non-Malays that we feel your pain, too. We understand your frustrations and despair at not being treated as equals in a country you call your own.

You must remember that UMNO will never treat you as equals or partners in progress. They want eveything for themselves. If you are not happy you can get out. UMNO does not give a damn if you're a rocket
scientist or Albert Einstein Reborn. If you are non Malay you are 2nd
class pendatang. Remember that well.

And enough non-Malays had migrated abroad to cause our country to
understand that their loss is another country’s gain. Singapore gained
the most. A loss, which our country can ill afford to sustain in the
long run. Only dumb and stupid Malay leaders deny the causes.

And more important, all these groundswell of disgust and contempt at
UMNO has manifested itself in a way these political idiots cannot
understand – losing our votes in the 12th General Elections on 10
March 2008. Say Amen for that. Instead of seeking penance these racist
bastards scream for bloodshed and mayhem still.

And so we wait for the 13th General Election in 2011 which we hope
will dish out the relevant karma for UMNO and its lameduck Barisan
Nasional partners. The stooges and the parasites.

Meantime understand what they have done to us all – not only the
non-Malays but also to the Malays and do not allow UMNO or Barisan Nasional to play the race card and start their divide and rule antics on us anymore.

You are one with me and we are two.
United we stand divided we fall.
One for all and all for one - is our game plan.