Wikileaks: US envoy says Umno abused security laws, institutions

The leaked cable said that “in good times Umno can
aintain control by distributing power and money to
get what it wants (but) in bad times, it uses the stick.”

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 — The United States ambassador here told Washington in 2008 that Malaysia was facing a “political crisis” caused by Umno’s control and abuse of security institutions and national security laws to remain in power.

US ambassador James R. Keith said in a leaked cable, released by whistleblower site WikiLeaks through the Malaysia Today news portal that “in good times Umno can maintain control by distributing power and money to get what it wants (but) in bad times, it uses the stick, and for now that means intimidation.”

Bourdon's detention 'puts Malaysia back in limelight'

The arrest and imminent deportation of French rights lawyer William Bourdon today drew strong reaction from PAS's Kuala Selangor member of parliament Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, who said the news put the country back into international limelight following the coverage of Bersih's massive rally on July 9.

Dzulkefly (above) said had Bourdon been allowed to attend the events planned for him, there would not be much media publicity.

Indonesia's Dramatic Shift In Forest Policy

Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact

INFORMATION SHARING

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Category: IP/IP Rights                                                                          Date: July 20, 2011

Indonesian Government Announces Dramatic Shift In Forest Policy; Commitment To Rights Of IPs, Communities

 13 July 2011 

Indonesian Government announces dramatic shift in forest policy; signals commitment to expand rights of communities, indigenous peoples

As major forestry conference opens in Indonesia, high-level government leaders commit to implement traditionalrights lost since colonial era

During a riveting keynote speech given at a global forestry conference in Lombok today, Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, head of the Indonesian President's Special Delivery Unit, announced the government's intention to prioritize the needs of its forest communities and to "recognize, respect and protect Adat rights," implementing legislation that has been on the books for ten years, but rarely implemented.

Cops admit firing into hospital, but not sorry

The police admit that their water cannon was fired into the compund but
denied that they had shot tear gas cannisters into the area.

KUALA LUMPUR:  The police admitted firing their water cannon into the Tung Shin hospital compound during the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9.

Internal Security and Public Order director Salleh Mat Rashid said that some tear gas might have trailed into the compound as well.

Surviving The Coming Hard Times!

By Stanley Koh
(MCA - Head Of Research Unit)

It turns out that the government you voted in will not hold your hand to see you through hard times. Instead, it will make sure to add to your suffering because that is the easiest way it can avoid going bankrupt.

Barisan Nasional has apparently decided that the time has come to remove or cut subsidies — the kind of subsidies that poor people depend on, not the kind enjoyed by big corporations and monopolistic suppliers of utilities and infrastructural support.

So what is the use of a government that will eagerly shake your hand during election time but will not hesitate to pull the rug from under your feet when it needs to save itself?

Why I am a socialist and intend to remain so - Dr. Jeyakumar (written in detention)

By Dr Jeyakumar, MP Sg Siput

“Hey Kumar! Still tilting at windmills are you?” a doctor friend greeted me at an MMA function 4 years ago. There had been some news regarding the Parti Sosialis Malaysia in the media that previous week.

For many, the socialist experiment had already been assigned to the dustbin of history and only deluded people would still work towards socialism

The Price of Malaysia 's Racism - Revisited

Written by  John Malott  

EXCLUSIVE When my op-ed appeared in the Asian Wall Street Journal last February, all hell broke loose in Malaysia . My thesis was that the highest levels of the government were tolerating or even provoking racial and religious tensions in order to shore up their political base among the Malay community.

 

I also pointed out that there is an economic price to pay for that political calculation, namely, that members of the minority communities increasingly will feel unwelcome in their own country and continue to emigrate overseas, taking their talents and skills with them.

Letter to Editor for DE Back In 2008

This letter was sent by the writer lawyer Peter Marajin to Daily Express Forum soon after the last General Election in 2008 which he participated as an Independent candidate. This letter  was never published. Borneo Herald is publishing it now courtesy of request by the write. 

P.O. Box 22226,
88781 Luyang, Kota Kinabalu.

Date: 09/04/08

Editor,
DAILY EXPRESS
P.O.Box 10139,
88801 Kota Kinabalu.

Dear Editor,

Kindly publish my following letter in your esteemed newspaper this coming Sunday, if you can. Thank you.

“A month has passed since the last election in which the Sabah voters had given the BN a thumping majority to rule Sabah once again for the next five years or so. The last election also saw my participation for the first time as an independent candidate in Kadamaian, albeit, lost. But for me the fight for justice for Sabah and the Sabahans shall never end with the loss but rather will mark the beginning of a long and arduous struggle.

Sarawak 49 years with Malaysia

By Burak S. Sem

KUCHING: Here we go again, another year celebrating our Independence Day, 31st August for the forty-ninth times! There are many things that we can be thankful for in the Sarawak! Yes, we in Sarawak know how to smile in the midst of adversities and misfortunes.

Censored: Magazine’s story on July 9 rally

Marker ink masks mention of Baharuddin’s death,
the banning of the march and police action
against participants

PETALING JAYA: The government has censored an article on Bersih’s July 9 rally in the latest issue of The Economist.

Three paragraphs are blacked out in marker ink.

The offending paragraphs mention the death of marcher Baharuddin Ahmad, the withdrawal of an offer to allow a gathering in a stadium, the banning of the rally, and police action caught on film.