Basiran Nasional? ... Embarisan Nazional? ... Barbarisan Nastianal? ... Borosan Nasikangkang?

Once again, with apologies to Malaysiakini, I just have to repost this classic from the indefatigable Dean Johns...

What BN really stands for
Dean Johns
14 March 2012 | Malaysiakini

On the face of it this is painfully obvious, at least to most Malaysians. BN stands for Barisan Nasional, the coalition that has ruled them increasingly crookedly and incompetently for the past half-century.

But as ‘Barisan Nasional’ means ‘National Front’, the question remains what and who BN is a front for, and how much longer it can get away with all the ugly realities it strives to hide behind its carefully-crafted facade.

How much longer, for example, can some apparently sentient Malaysians keep taking it seriously as ‘Barisan Nasional’, when, as I pointed-out in a column some months ago, BN is so evidently a front for what could justly be called ‘Basiran Nasional’?

I recall that at the time several readers complained of my calling BN ‘basi’, which I had discovered in my trusty pocket Malay-English dictionary to mean “stale, rotten, out-of-date”, on the grounds that it was abusive.

An accusation to which my response was and remains that, after 54 dreary years in power, BN has come to stand for so much that is basi, not to mention buruk and busuk, that it’s ridiculous.

And if this plainly evident fact strikes anyone as abusive, or even ABUsive, I’m delighted. BN has subjected Malaysia and Malaysians to such an intolerable burden of abuse, of everything from public funds to human rights and civil liberties that no amount of verbal abuse by me or anyone else can come close to restoring the balance.

Especially in view of the fact that the rot goes on unabated, so that Barisan/Basiran seems to be not just a false front or throwback to the dim, dark ages, but a veritable Barahsan Nasional.

Cancer mutated into conspiracy

A cancer that has grown from barely-detectable beginnings in a formerly apparently benign political coalition, and mutated and metastasised into a malignant criminal conspiracy that threatens the livelihoods and even the lives of Malaysian citizens.

If you think I’m exaggerating in the life-and-death department, take a look at the what BN expects Malaysians to Barinsanely stand for at the hands of their Nasional law-enforcement agencies.

Not only the unexplained, uninvestigated and of course unpunished homicide of ‘suspects’ in staged ‘shoot-outs’ and in custody, and charges and counter-charges between senior police and law officers allegedly in league with organised crime, but such dereliction of ordinary, everyday duties that communities have to pay private security organisations to ensure their own and their families’ safety, and the fatality rates on Malaysia’s pathetically-policed roads are 10 times of those in countries like the UK and Australia.

Then there’s BN’s legendary standing as Borosan Nasional, extravagantly spending and squandering so much public money on its members and their relatives and cronies as to threaten to reduce the rakyat to ruin.

The prime minister and his shopaholic consort spend fortunes jet-setting around the world and throwing glitzy parties using either public funds or mysteriously-amassed millions of their own. Billions disappear in ‘commissions’ on submarines, armoured personnel carriers and other ‘defence’ deals, and countless more billions go missing in ‘soft loans’, ‘bail-outs’ and ‘development’ schemes and scams.

And in case the poor suckers who pay for all this get wise to how wantonly they’re being cheated, short-changed, ripped-off, and thus take to complaining or - horror of horrors - avenging themselves at the ballot-box, there’s the ultimate expression of what BN stands for, Barisandiwara Nasional.

What a show of shows this is. What a dazzling display of deception, trickery, illusionism and sleight-of-hand. Roll up, roll up and see BN’s ‘world’s best democracy’, never mind BN’s world-class anti-democratic laws, phoney BN ‘reforms’, rigged BN electoral system and BN ‘transformations’ that turn out to be just more of the same old BN transfornications.

Tune-in to the BN show-trials of opposition leaders, and selected scapegoats in BN scandals where ‘justice’ has to be seen to be done by a hand-picked BN judiciary.

Sit through years of fraudulent BN ‘inquests’ and ‘royal commissions’ that eventually end but never come to any actual, actionable conclusions.

See, hear and read all the exciting, sordid details of BN allegations against its critics and opponents, and thrill to the thunderous silence about BN crimes and misdeeds in the BN-biased ‘news’ media.

Chorus of sectarian discord

Feel the peace, love and harmony of a BN-united 1Malaysia, and never mind the dreadful din of the BN-conducted chorus of racial and sectarian discord.

Barisan Nasional is no doubt a front for many more evils than those I’ve identified among those that BN stands for.

But I’m right on deadline for this column, so I haven’t much time to come up with any others. In any case, despite my ownership of the dictionary I mentioned up front, I’ve pretty well exhausted my store of BN-appropriate Malay words.

Or to put this another way, I’m monolingual or what I guess you could call homotextual in English, unlike many of you readers in Malaysia who, ‘homo’ being a no-no, are pretty well all heterolingual or even heteroliterate and thus far better-equipped to come up with some more ideas.

But whatever language we all manage to communicate in, I’m sure that the vast majority of us are on the same page when it comes to BN.

Only a 1Malaysiac, 1Malaysiaccomplice or 1Malaysiaccessory would stand for another minute of Barisan, Basiran, Barahsan, Barinsane, Borosan, Barisandiwara or any other kind of Nasional anyone can think of that BN stands for.

With the notable exception, of course, of the words that those of us who can’t stand BN for another minute would love to see come true: Burysan Nasional.

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DEAN JOHNS, after many years in Asia, currently lives with his Malaysian-born wife and daughter in Sydney, where he coaches and mentors writers and authors and practises as a writing therapist. Published books of his columns for Malaysiakini include Mad about Malaysia, Even Madder about Malaysia, Missing Malaysia and 1Malaysia.con.

The Incomparable Nurul Izzah Anwar Speaks...

First time I shook her hand was in 1998, shortly after a commando team broke rudely into Anwar Ibrahim's Damansara Heights residence and bundled him off to jail as "a threat to national security." Nurul Izzah was only 18 years old then, but she was composed and confident as she greeted the throngs of well-wishers passing through their home to lend moral support.

Nurul Izzah's illustrious father, Anwar Ibrahim, was indeed a very serious threat - not to the nation but to the corrupt, hypocritical and tyrannical Umno regime established by the megalomaniacal and Machiavellian Mahathir Mohamad - who, in his 22-year term, almost single-handedly obliterated the horizon of decency and morally contaminated every public institution in the country - from the police force and the judiciary right down to our universities, civil service, and even the religious agencies.

Almost 14 years later, little has changed in Malaysia. The evil legacy left behind by Mahathir still plagues the nation. And Nurul Izzah's father is still the icon of political reform, as the Opposition Leader poised to become Malaysia's 7th prime minister if we can somehow overcome BN's fraudulent election system and knock them off their high horses.

At only 31, Nurul Izzah Anwar is already a seasoned campaigner. Everyone I know admires her courage, intelligence, composure - and, most of all, her compassionate, down-to-earth political stance. Of course, her striking beauty is a fantastic bonus. We dream of the day when we can watch our prime minister address the nation with sheer adoration and open-hearted admiration.

It's high time Malaysia gets a leader who deserves a standing ovation whenever she opens her mouth.

EVERY FACE TELLS A STORY

Mysterious lineage, possibly descended from one of the Great Khans; may also have genetic links to ancient shamanic bloodlines. Independent-minded and strong-willed, thrives on controversy and breaking social taboos. Ambitious and fashion-conscious, fond of luxury and an extravagant lifestyle. Passionate and romantic, with a protective veneer of cynicism and pragmatism. Adventurous spirit, assertive and self-confident, with a weakness for high-profile alpha males, especially the rich and famous. Emotionally wounded, fatally attracted to experiences of betrayal, sorrow, disappointment and tragedy.


Domineering spirit, drawn to wealth and power, and willing to do whatever it takes to achieve her ambitions. Inclined towards superstition and a belief in magical talismans; gracious and charming to anyone who can serve her purposes, but cold and spiteful towards those who do not fawn over or lavish her with flattery. Tendency to be ruthless and vindictive when thwarted.


Born into wealth and inherited power, self-assured about his social status and ability to command. Emotionally vulnerable but groomed for high office, hence skilful at camouflaging his feelings and maintaining a stiff (albeit pink) upper lip. Unresolved issues with father and mother: tends to defer to authoritarian father figures, while attracted to strong, domineering females. Inclined towards sensuality and sexual decadence, but acutely conscious of reputation and therefore constantly burdened with feelings of guilt. Able to detach completely from his emotions and thus capable of insensitivity and cruel, unfeeling behavior.


An explosive combination of personalities: when fire and ice come together, it can get really steamy. Steam, as we know, can be harnessed to power mighty engines - but if unreleased can produce calamitous effects.

[First published 10 October 2008]

The Astrology of 2012 and December 21st ~ Craig Howell

Big movements are afoot in the heavens as the planets jostle into position, signifying no less than the birth of a new consciousness. But with birth sometimes comes painful transitions until mother and child are resting in each others arms. The beginning of this goes back to the “Harmonic Convergence” of the ‘80s, but the most recent turn of events is showing a ratcheting up of the energy to the point where something’s got to give, as they say.

In June of 2011 there began a series of hard aspects between Uranus and Pluto, sometimes forming Grand Crosses with other planets in the Cardinal Signs. Uranus is the planet of independence and revolution and by that time last year it was in full swing with the “Arab Spring” and the “Occupy” movement not far behind. Pluto deals with old energy that needs shifting and in this case, in Capricorn, old structures that have been mainstays of society that need an overhaul. All astrologers agree that when planetary energies push against each other such as these, the friction and pressure create something like a world seismic event that lasts for a long time. It’s like an earthquake that has been building over years, starts swarming and then releases the pressure in various eruptions.

When other planets join in and form a cross in the sky, it intensifies this pattern. Cardinal signs (Aries, Libra, Capricorn, Cancer) show that the effects of this transition will be temporary, yet fraught with emergencies, creating issues or problems that require immediate solutions. It also shows that although there will be wasted energy spinning wheels, there will ultimately be growth and change for the better. Hard aspects will come to a conclusion in 2016, but it doesn’t mean that we’re done. It’s going to take a while to straighten everything back out. As one channeler expressed about this transition, “we are waist-deep” into it. We are in a major transition.

It’s time for “business as usual” to change, whether you want to or not. The Universe doesn’t ask if you are ready. This will turn the tables on the Plutonian power brokers if they are using their energy to control and manipulate the masses, because the masses just woke up and they are not going to lie down and play the game anymore. This is the beginning of the end for old political, financial, cultural and even religious structures (especially male-dominated types) that have run their course and are no longer assisting our evolution. This is the general climate at this time.

Now it is 2012 and everyone is wondering what’s going to happen when we get to the date of December 21, 2012. As an astrologer, there are indeed real physical alignments of planets around that date, but are of a more subtle nature. There is still Uranus and Pluto pounding it out along with the Sun and Moon, showing a minor flare up, but there is another configuration that begins at this date and continues for a short time. This is called a Yod, or the “Finger of God.”

Although this sounds ominous, it is actually symbolic of a time when a clear choice must be made as to where or how to proceed. With that choice a new destiny is born. It shows that we are at a crossroads, everyone knows it, and in fact may have even felt this for a long time, but now the realization that we can not go on like this has arrived. On December 21st, this may be but an inner knowing among us, but by late March, 2013, we will see what our choices have brought us. This configuration is helped along by having Pluto and Saturn sharing each other’s ruler. Pluto in Capricorn is saying tear down the old systems. Saturn in Scorpio is saying reuse and retool what is worth saving into something that works for us now. Because Jupiter is the trigger for this transit, it may be that people will be assessing their belief in their own abilities to accomplish a major shift (both inner and outer) and checking their personal spiritual beliefs. Maybe because Jupiter is in Gemini (and retrograde) people will be talking a lot about this to each other as well, attempting to process this and gauge other’s experiences of this at the moment. Then we will see what we have manifested in March, 2013.

Along the way there will be more exposing and reversal of power structures that do not serve our spiritual growth at this time. This may create some emergency situations that must be dealt with. It will also be a challenge to us to take back our power individually; to be accountable for our decisions and for the circumstances we find ourselves in. This may be felt as just a nudge now, but a more visceral effect will show around April of 2014, especially for the United States, as Jupiter moves into Cancer and triggers the Uranus /Pluto formation all over again.

This year Neptune moves into its home sign of Pisces. I believe it will be seen on one level as personal and group spiritual involvement and, on another level, as a social concern for the underprivileged or disenfranchised, where people are volunteering and sacrificing to help others in need. But there is more.

Because this involves Neptune, one must tread carefully so as to be able to get a constant reality check. This position will open people more to the spiritual realms, but also become the gateway for delusions, illusion and fantasy. Although we will be learning to be our own spiritual guide by connecting through our heart and soul, there will still be many searching for that one who they can follow, the one who they believe can save them and save the world.

Neptune tries to get us to live in higher consciousness while living in a lower vibrational third dimensional world, which provides some conflict for most humans, to say the least. Neptune seeks perfection in an imperfect world by any means possible, hence the negative reaction in striving to feel Nirvana through drugs or any escapist tendency instead of going within to align with their higher awareness. With Neptune, the “real” world weighs heavy on the soul.

As far as 2012 goes, this could mean that there is so much belief from so many that a particular event can occur, this event—or series of events—begins to manifest. Whether it is a manifestation of fear or of love is up to us. It comes down to the question, “How do you envision your future?” It may be the beginning of a time when we really start seeing our own thoughts and feelings manifest in our lives very clearly. Those that do not understand this may be creating more negativity for themselves and, only seeing this, they may believe it to be their reality—a never ending circle. This may be what people have predicted as a shift or separation in reality, which could be very confusing if you’re not prepared for it.

The greater effect for the United States will come around 2014-2024, as planets make harsh exact aspects to planets in the United States chart. This will shift the country in a deep and long lasting way. After this transit the USA will never be the same. This sounds dire, but it is actually going to bring a breath of fresh air after the power struggles are over between those who don’t want change and those who do.

My take on the big picture is that Neptune in Pisces is the last gasp of the Piscean Age with all the attending irrational fears, hypersensitivity and emotional hysteria until it goes into Aries (2026) about the same time as Pluto goes into Aquarius in 2024. Then we will see the real beginning of the Aquarian Age where people have a greater understanding of the spiritual energetic principles that create our existence and a tolerance for the beliefs and lifestyles of others.

Craig Howell has been a published writer since 1993 when he created and published his holistic/metaphysical monthly publication, The Wheel. He has since created four books: A Flower Unfolds (spiritual giftbook), Through the Eyes of Kwan Yin (Q&A with a Kwan Yin channel), Spiritual Teachings for Young Souls (basic teachings for teen empowerment) and 2012 Messages. He has contributed to many publications online and in print, most recently in Dell Horoscope Magazine.

[Brought to my attention by Olivia de Haulleville]

Latest music video from Hugo Farrant (the most erudite rapper on earth!)

Mash-up video for Hugo & Treats "1 1 2 3 5 Let It Reign"

Lyrics written and performed by Hugo
Music blended by Treats
Vox recorded, mixed and mastered at Squid Studios by Frank Pearce
Uploaded on YouTube 10 March 2012


Available for download here! ... or for listening here... connect on facebook here!
Connect with Treats here.

HOW I MET HUGO FARRANT

I N T E G R I T Y : what is it? (reprise)

Thinking beyond conventional or consensus reality… some philosophical notes…

1. At the age of eleven I became disenchanted with emblems of External Authority when my name was included in a list of "bad hats" or "undesirable elements"... and I was hauled up along with a dozen other kids, finger-wagged and then caned by the headmaster, who then proceeded to rub salt into our injured souls by forcing us to present a letter to our parents advising them to supervise their errant children more carefully! I knew then that little justice was to be found on this earth, for I knew full well that my only "sin" was being too talkative and cheeky in class - and that's only natural for any intelligent, high-spirited child.

2. Truth is, INTEGRITY is so rare on this planet it may be harder to find than a unicorn. We have traditionally depended on our culture heroes and our monarchs to be exemplars of and to establish standards of courage, nobility, and justice. However, our values are static concepts while actual life circumstances require dynamic responses – therefore the gap between ethical values and practical solutions tends to increase.

3. Look at the word INTEGER: a whole number; a number that is not a fraction; a thing complete in itself.

4. Consider the many layers of a personality: people wear masks, that often become ingrained as ego characteristics. Different faces for different situations, suspension of belief systems necessary for criminal behavior.

5. Case in point: Dr M as fire chief and arsonist, starting fires and putting them out because he’s obsessed with getting medals. Because their public and private selves are totally at odds, most public figures - especially politicians - suffer from an incurable form of Multiple Personality Disorder.

6. Duality, Unity, and Integrity vis-à-vis Buckminster Fuller’s dictum: “Unity is plural at minimum two.” Two sides of a coin, two ends of a stick. The loop that links beginning to end, ignorance to knowledge, folly to wisdom. The departure point from Singularity produced Duality or Polarity - Yin and Yang, Female and Male and bi-polarity is in itself perfectly neutral - neither "Good" nor "Bad" - until value judgments are superimposed over dynamic processes by those who would rule and regulate human behavior, setting themselves up as Archons (Judges) or Hierophants (Corrupt Priesthoods).

7. The Carrot-and-Stick management approach has its roots in Reward-Punishment behavior modification techniques and social engineering. If you behave well and obey the rules, you will be rewarded with eternal life in Heaven; otherwise you will suffer eternal perdition in Hell. "Good Behavior" as defined, of course, by a specially appointed committee - and Rules decreed by a Ruler or his/her representatives which cannot be questioned since all Rulers are of divine origins.

8. What if Punishment is abolished - or transmuted to Admonishment? Will HONESTY become the norm?

9. When we accept and begin to love all the aspects of our Ultimate Universal Self, it’s called Reintegration: regaining our Integrity.

10. How does “GOD” fit into a discussion of INTEGRITY? “GOD” as the Original Integer. Achieving integrity is akin to finding what we call God within us. The Lord or Tuhan then becomes our Core Self and that’s how we master our own destiny as individuals living consciously within a community of kindred souls.

[First published 14 October 2011 but the current political atmosphere prompts me to repost!]

Censorship & the performing arts in Malaysia: a case study

THE B*LTIM*RE W*LTZ OPENS IN KL!
Antares mulls over the far-reaching effects of censorship

Paula Vogel

This was supposed to be a straightforward review of a not-so-straightforward play, The Baltimore Waltz by the award-winning playwright Paula Vogel, directed by Rey Buono and produced by the Instant Café Theatre. However, external circumstances sometimes intrude and irrevocably alter the course originally intended.

The play was very nearly cancelled. Indeed, one day before opening night, The Baltimore Waltz was banned by DBKL (Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur aka City Hall) which issues public performance licences for all shows staged in the Federal Territory. DBKL have thus far been, to their credit, fairly cooperative, easygoing and mature about this ruling - until the recent flap over The Vagina Monologues (which saw a very successful initial run, only to have its application for an extension rejected).

Producer Adeline Tan and artistic director Jo Kukathas filed an urgent appeal with DBKL and, after agreeing to extensive cuts, were given permission to stage the play as scheduled. This, in itself, is reason to celebrate: firstly, the never-say-die feistiness of ICT and the cast of The Baltimore Waltz, which saved the show; and secondly, the fact that the show did go on indicates that the people who work at DBKL aren’t TOTALLY unreasonable and are, to a certain extent, still open to a little give-and-take. After all, a tremendous amount of energy, time, money, and talent goes into a theatrical production of this caliber – and it only takes one “TAK BOLEH!” to see everything go down the drain. Theatregoers will be condemned to a boring plastic future of uncontroversial plays and harmless frolic – because potential sponsors will inevitably balk at any material that extends the frontiers of artistic expression.

Rey Buono

This is a good time for all of us, whether or not directly involved in the performing and cinematic arts, to reassess how we really feel about being told what we can and cannot see and hear on stage or on the screen. Who decides and why? Censorship, no matter what the excuse, ultimately serves only to retard us mentally and culturally infantilize us. This may suit you fine if you happen to be in business or the bureaucracy – after all, a bunch of docile, overgrown kids are easy to keep in line with candy and canes (or bread and circuses).

Malaysia’s censorship laws, like our notorious Internal Security Act, are a legacy of the British administration. Archaic, irrelevant and unnecessary though they be, these laws are a convenient foil against any attempt to change the status quo or overthrow the ruling regime through nonviolent means. I’d like to quote extensively from my review of Chin San Sooi’s heavily censored play, Morning In Night, published in the New Sunday Times of August 24, 1986:

Freedom of expression isn’t something one can take for granted. Even in merry England, the necessity of getting official sanction for all plays was a centuries-old thorn in the side of the theatre community – until 1967 or thereabouts when Kenneth Tynan led a successful campaign to abolish the all-powerful rôle of the Lord Chamberlain in granting public performance permits.

Robert Walpole (1676 ~ 1745) 

The history of secular censorship in the English theatre goes back to a Playhouse Bill proposed by Robert Walpole in 1737. As First Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer, Walpole was in a highly favorable position to amass great personal wealth through corruption; he was, in fact, unofficially England’s first Prime Minister and not without his critics, who often resorted to the symbolic weapon of the stage to lampoon his inflated political ambitions. Walpole’s Playhouse Bill passed into law and all scripts were subjected to the Lord Chamberlain’s scrutiny; the Lord Chamberlainship, naturally, was an office appointed by the Lord Chancellor of the Exchequer. The fact that it took the English 230 years to rid themselves of this particular nuisance shows how difficult it is to unmake unnecessary laws.


I hear voices piping up: “But, but… there HAS TO BE some form of control over artistic output or the whole nation will be plunged into chaos!” Well, let’s remind ourselves that originally all artistic expression was regarded as the chief means by which Divine Intelligence (or the Collective Psyche) revealed itself to mankind. If we’re going to run around hysterically plugging up these channels of intercommunication just because some of them threaten our narrow understanding of life, would that not precipitate our worst fears and bring about a monopoly of the Truth wielded by vested interests? Humans, in their faithlessness and folly, love to make laws, which the smarter ones break. Wise is he who knows how to unmake laws.

So much for censorship. I don’t have anything positive to say about any form of censorship – and don’t give me that cynical crap about “multiracial, multicultural sensitivities.” The only chance we have to resolve any human conflict is through honest, uncensored communication; and the best people to attempt this task are our writers, thinkers, and performers – not bureaucrats and politicians!

How about the play itself? I didn’t care too much for Paula Vogel’s writing, although I think the play is an instructive study for aspiring playwrights in its clever use of cinematic devices, literary allusions and cultural clichés. Vogel’s insights and responses are circumscribed by the intellectual materialism of her academic background. Her script, which humanizes the experience of being gay and dying of AIDS, may evoke sympathy for AIDS sufferers in particular and homosexuals in general - but her typically American (Hollywood?) sentimentality about death and dying came across as trite. I’d have been a great deal more intrigued if she had at least alluded to the possibility that the HIV virus was a top-secret population-culling project of the WHO that went awry. Fortunately Vogel managed to poke some timely fun at Big Medicine, pharmaceutical companies and their professional quackery and chicanery.

Ghafir Akbar

Despite the initially amusing, then annoying, surgical excisions - goodhumoredly captioned with slide announcements like: “UNACCEPTABLE DIALOGUE REMOVED” or “UNACCEPTABLE REMOVAL OF CLOTHING REMOVED” - the play was elegant and sophisticated, and might well have marked a new level of artistic achievement in KL theatre. Rey Buono showed himself once again to be an imaginative, intelligent, and inspired theatre director who combines craftsmanlike competence with poetic passion.

Rohaizad Suaidi

The cast deserves a tremendous round of applause for the superhuman effort they put into entertaining their audiences, in the face of the dreadful uncertainties and bureaucratic stress they were all subjected to. Rohaizad Suaidi was credible and animated as Carl; Ghafir Akbar was remarkably versatile with his multiple quick-change characterizations; and Joanna Bessey was simply lovable as Anna. Theirs were technically challenging rôles – especially Ghafir’s – and I felt they could have fine-tuned their characterizations a great deal better without the help of DBKL’s censorship board. As things turned out, it was like going to the cinema and seeing a goondu’s hand blocking the projector every time an “objectionable” scene came up. Unwittingly, DBKL (as the symbol of official repression) became the fourth member of the cast and their performance was, frankly speaking, shameful.

Joanna Bessey

Malaysians are generally a patient lot but are we prepared to put up with mediocrity forever? Because that’s what censorship ultimately breeds. I certainly hope not. It’s like granting the butler the power to stop you from leaving home if he felt you weren’t “suitably” dressed. Or allowing the security guards to decide what books to order for the library and what books to burn.

An advanced culture loves and accepts diversity in all things and allows free exchange of ideas. It doesn’t stifle artistic expression and suppress truthspeaking theatre. Seems like we’re a little backward when it comes to cultural maturity.

[First published in kakiseni.com in June 2003]

The negative karma of ill-gotten gains (updated)

My blogger friend Donplaypuks requested that I help publicize the despicable show trial wherein the Malaysian Association of Chinese Comedians aka MACC has been trying to inflict pain and confusion on Rosli Dahlan (right) - a lawyer who got sucked into this mess simply for acting as legal counsel for former CCID chief Ramli Yusoff, who happens to be IGP Musa Hassan's arch-enemy and rival for the post of Top Cop. Din Merican has done a great job of providing a blow-by-blow account of the grotesque proceedings, having diligently attended every session at court.

There appears to be no end to the disgusting shit flying around the political arena.


Almost 3 years later, Teoh Beng Hock's untimely death while in MACC custody remains unexplained - and nobody has been charged with culpable homicide. The inquest plodded along at snail's pace, making a complete mockery of justice. And even after a Royal Commission of Inquiry was convened as a result of public pressure, it turned out to be merely a delay tactic - because not one of the MACC interrogators has been convicted of being an accessory to murder or even for gross abuse of power.

All those mysterious deaths in police custody - not only A. Kugan's which received wide publicity but so many others (including the shocking case of a 14-year-old boy shot in the back of his head in a late-night car chase) - and not a single PDRM head has rolled, only a couple of low-ranking patsies scapegoated (as usual).

The RM13 billion PKFZ scandal is in danger of being completely covered in cobwebs, now that the man who initiated an official investigation has lost his job as MCA president. True, retired warlord Ling Liong Sik is being trotted out to take the rap, but it remains to be seen how his trial proceeds. Will he bare his soul and help bring his fellow criminal conspirators to justice? It would delight me no end to see the Three Tuns audited and behind bars (instead of hanging around in pubs). You know which three Tuns I'm referring to: Mahathir, Daim and Abdullah Badawi.

After more than 5 years, the ghost of Altantuya still haunts Putrajaya - and MACC, as to be expected, chickened out of its commitment to meeting P.I. Balasubramaniam in London. It's clear as day the trail of serious wrongdoing leads directly to Najib Razak's desk. The macabre Altantuya Affair, intimately linked as it is with the disgraceful Scorpene and Agosta submarines scandal, ought to have terminated the present corrupt regime - because they are all implicated in the cover-up.

And, of course, the entire world is still sniggering at Famous Anus jokes and asking why Anwar Ibrahim appears to have been singled out for the dubious honor of being the only Malaysian to be charged with sodomy - TWICE in 10 years! Let's not even mention the disgraceful farce that has passed for a trial - even if his surprise acquittal on 9 January 2012 was an unexpected U-turn, indicative of conflicts within Umno's top leadership.

Meanwhile the defence ministry nonchalantly carries on with the purchase of all kinds of useless and unserviceable ordnance - all at outrageously marked up prices - while RM300,000 jet engines go missing and yet another Indian gets scapegoated.

All this rampant corruption and injustice hogging the headlines leaves me speechless. What can I say (apart from Tak Boleh lah, Bolehland)?

I have friends who still earn monthly salaries working for BN-owned media (oh sure, your kids deserve the best education money can buy, so they can get well-paying jobs after they graduate with Apco Worldwide, Halliburton, or BP).

As for Vincent Tan's deal-gone-sour with Najib, frankly I don't give a shit. I have no personal bone to pick with Vincent Tan (left), even though rumors are rife that he was instrumental in financing the defection of Hee Yit Foong and the collapse of the Pakatan Rakyat state government in Perak. Just because Vincent Tan looks like a real tough hombre who drives a hard-nosed bargain doesn't mean he deserves to have his bloodline terminated (although I wouldn't protest too vigorously if Vincent and his fellow money-grubbing moguls like Rupert Murdoch swiftly became an extinct species on this planet).

3 years later a banner protesting the gold mine remains in place

Nor do I have a personal grudge against business tycoon Kam Woon Wah, erstwhile MCA secretary-general, whose son Andrew Kam Tai Yeow (left) is the guy behind the revival of the controversial Raub Australian Gold Mining Sdn Bhd (a subsidiary of London-based Peninsular Gold Ltd).

But I met some of the Bukit Koman residents spearheading the campaign against Andrew Kam's highly polluting gold mine outside Raub and was inspired by their courage and resolve to stop the operations against all odds. For a start, the Pahang royal house has shares in the venture, which might explain why the police saw fit to arrest and detain overnight those leading the protest against the toxic gold mine. However, the Bukit Koman residents remain undaunted, though at a loss as to what to do next. Word has it that there really isn't as much gold to be found as the investors had hoped, which could put them out of business sooner than they expect. One can only wish such sociopathic miscreants a spectacular failure.

Local residents point out the toxic gold mine

It's the same old tiresome scenario. Whether the villain of the piece happens to be Union Carbide in Bhopal, BP-Halliburton in the Gulf of Mexico, the Bakun Hydroelectric Project in Sarawak, the Three Gorges Dam in China, or Peninsular Gold in Bukit Koman - it's invariably a conspiracy of already rich folks trying to get even richer at the expense of ordinary citizens with no financial or political clout.

A beancurd factory is located less than 200 yards from the gold mine

What can I do about it - apart from keeping the story in the public eye? Just as I can't persuade billions of humans to turn their backs on fizzy drinks, commercialized football, and their pathological addiction to newspapers and TV, I doubt I can wean people off their compulsion to find gold and hoard it. especially not if their surname happens to be Kam (which, in Chinese, means "gold"). Who cares if toxic chemicals seep into the groundwater and the air is polluted with rash-inducing particles?

General view of Bukit Koman, a village just outside Raub in Pahang

It's painfully embarrassing that we have to suffer the grandiose extravagance of so many royal households - each with its grubby fingers in multiple business pies. Surely anyone receiving a generous allowance for simply existing would be well satisfied and refrain from soiling their hands with dubious and unsavory business ventures? Alas, this has not been the case - at least not since the Mahathir Era. Everybody wants to be another King Farouk or live in ungodly splendor like the Saudi Royals.

It doesn't matter how the money is obtained, how many are made to suffer the deleterious consequences - or what hideous ruin is inflicted on the environment.

Well, I can envisage a time when the only individuals entitled to royalty claims will be those who can produce works of beauty and enduring truth in the form of artifacts like films, music, literature, stimulating dance performances, inspiring murals, public sculptures, and magnificent buildings.

Raub Australian Gold Mining Sdn Bhd is hidden by the tall trees

Those who have accumulated their wealth through logging, mining, drilling, manufacturing junk, selling weaponry and accepting bribes will be universally marked as criminals and shunned wherever they go. I hope Taib Mahmud's family is reading this. So be it.

[First published 29 June 2010]