Six words on... and to be six again...

Chin Huat, before he was arrested under the Sedition Act.

From The Nutgraph, where he is editor:
Inspired by Ernest Hemingway's genius, the Six Words On... section challenges readers to give us their comments about a current issue, contemporary personality or significant event in just six words.

The idea behind the section is to get readers engaged in an issue that The Nut Graph identifies, while having fun and being creatively disciplined — being concise is harder than ranting out a 1,000-word comment.

Black Day For Malaysia: 1Malaysia My Foot!!!
No, this is not an example of ‘Six Words on’ but actually Nurul Izzah’s latest post. But it must have crossed people’s mind after what happened at the State Assembly sitting in Ipoh yesterday. For Six Words On, I would attempt to put it as, ‘1Malaysia: how was that for starters?’

Anyway, there are already so much written on yesterday’s fiasco, might as well look at something funny instead:

To Be 6 Again...
A man was sitting on the edge of the bed, observing wife, looking at herself in the mirror. Since her birthday was not far off he asked what she'd like to have for her birthday.

'I'd like to be six again', she replied, still looking in the mirror.

On the morning of her Birthday, he arose early, made her a nice big bowl of Lucky Charms, and then took her to Six Flags theme park. What a day!

He put her on every ride in the park; the Death Slide, the Wall of Fear, the Screaming Roller Coaster, everything there was.

Five hours later they staggered out of the theme park. Her head was reeling and her stomach felt upside down.

He then took her to a McDonald's where he ordered her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a
chocolate shake.

Then it was off to a movie, popcorn, a soda pop, and her favorite candy, M&M's. What a fabulous adventure! Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed exhausted.

He leaned over his wife with a big smile and lovingly asked, 'Well Dear, what was it like being six again?'

Her eyes slowly opened and her expression suddenly changed. 'I meant my dress size, you retard!!!!'

The moral of the story: Even when a man is listening, he is gonna get it wrong.

Tarnished Silver State

What an irony... in the year of the Sultan's Silver Jubilee celebration, when soon after the power grab by BN in February, Tuanku did not turn up for the local celebration in Batu Gajah.

The tourism ministry's posters on both sides of the flyover across the North-South Expressway next to Bukit Gantang service area which featured then PM Pak Lah, DPM Najib and Azlina, saw Najib's pictures splashed with red paint and they were quickly taken off. Of course, BN lost the by-election where Nizar won to become MP as well as state assemblyman which made him Menteri Besar earlier before he was ousted.

Since then, we have read about countless police reports made, legal actions taken against each other, court rulings and legal opinions offered by all and sundry favouring either sides.

It would be an understatement to say that most Perakians are unhappy over the power grab as there was no shortage of letters and articles by concerned and fair-minded people born in Perak, including a former Court of Appeal judge. As expected, the powers that be chose 'rule by law' making full use of the partial Police to ensure the State Assembly sitting was presided by BN's own Speaker, after the shameful physical dragging of the rightful Speaker, YB Sivakumar out of the august house. How low can they get? We must remember this black day for the next general elections, expected in 2013. Below are excerpts of a letter, and some reports from Malaysia Insider. Malaysiakini's report has some nice pictures to show how disgraceful the event turned out.

It takes so little nowadays to be arrested
Farida J Ibrahim May 6, 09 6:17pm
I refer to the Malaysiakini report Bersih's Wong remanded for a day.It takes so little nowadays to be arrested. It takes so little to have handcuffs slapped on your wrists, to be denied legal counsel and to be furtively led into a car and whisked away in the midst of concerned members of the public, like in a cat-and-mouse or hide-and-seek game.

So it was with Wong Chin Huat, whose sole purpose in speaking up and urging participation was so that the people's rights could be restored, the people's voice could be heard and the road back to democracy could be paved. And to think that wearing a chosen colour is now a crime in Malaysia.

The police have long lost their impartiality. They have forgotten to uphold their sacred oath of office to uphold justice, peace and the law. Somewhere along the way the police force lost its way and now serves only its political masters. ...

One black day for police in Perak
The Malaysian Insider) IPOH, May 7 — Barbed wires and road blocks: this wasn't something the people of Ipoh were familiar with as they went about their business this morning. The police had blocked all access to the State Secretariat and this resulted in a traffic jam around the area.

At around 9am, protesters began to come out from the "closed" restaurant. They were wearing black T-shirts and held posters of the King. All were calling loudly for the state assembly to be dissolved.

Minutes later, DSP Glen Anthony noticed them and shouted, "Arrest them! Don't be soft on them, arrest them now!"
The protesters ran towards the restaurants but the police were able to nab a number of them.

Several assemblymen started to arrive and those without the secretariat-issued pass were denied entry. When PKR Wanita chief Zuraida Kamarrudin was forced out of the car, she started scolding the police.
"Why do you have to shout? Why do you have to act so uncivilised?" she said.
The police officer asked her to shut up but she wouldn’t stop talking. The officer then ordered her arrest.

At 9.50am, Ipoh Timur MP Lim Kit Siang and Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran were stopped by the police and asked to drive away. Both MPs and Kulasegaran's political secretary P. Sugumaran got out of the car and began arguing with the officers.

"I received an official invitation from the Speaker... I have a right to be here. This is my constituency," Kulasegaran argued.
A shouting match began between Sugumaran and the police. It finally ended when Sugumaran was arrested. Both Lim and Kulasegaran then decided to leave.

While Lim was driven off, he told reporters: " This is a war zone. This is a national and international disgrace. Even when we received official invitations from the Speaker, we are denied entry. It is most shameful and outrageous."

The police began to scout the area for protesters and made more arrests. They included Kubang Kerian MP Salahuddin Ayub.

"What we want is justice and we are willing to risk anything for it. We don’t mind losing as long as there is democracy," Salahuddin told reporters before he was arrested.

Was it worth it?

(The Malaysian Insider) MAY 7 — Hee Yit Fong got the position and attention she craved for today. Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir received the guard-of-honour treatment he desired so much. And Barisan Nasional completed the sordid power grab in the state of Perak, earning the right to titles, perks and position but not what matters most to any government — legitimacy.

The three defectors (two who need some cover from serious corruption charges and one who was unhappy at being treated like a doormat by her comrades in the DAP) can enjoy their new-found status as kingmakers in the assembly.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the BN can at last calm the nerves of members and supporters who were beginning to believe that the coalition had lost its ability to win at any cost.

But at what cost? Was the prize so valuable that it was worthwhile trampling on the image and standing of the country’s important institutions, the Federal Constitution and the sense of right and wrong?

Surely not. Even the most myopic BN supporter has to agree that achieving power through the backdoor has come at a great cost to the judiciary, monarchy and the police, not to mention the new leaders in Putrajaya who have been trying to erase the negativity surrounding Umno with the 1 Malaysia concept.
…
So was it worth it? Was taking power through the backdoor worth it? Only Malaysians can provide the answer to that question. They should do so at the ballot box at every opportunity between now and the next general election.

And Roger Tan still believe there is fairness in our local politics!

A black joke...

is black underwear ok?

Black Panties

Anna had lost her husband almost four years ago. Her daughter was constantly calling her and urging her to get back into the world. Finally, Anna said she'd go out, but didn't know anyone.

Her daughter immediately replied, "Mum! I have someone for you to meet.."

Well, it was an immediate hit. They took to one another and after dating for six weeks, he asked her to join him for a weekend away..

Their first night there, she undressed as he did.. There she stood nude, except for a pair of black lacy panties; he was in his birthday suit.

Looking her over, he asked, "Why the black panties?"

She replied: "My breasts you can fondle, my body is yours to explore, but down there I am still in mourning."

He knew he was not getting lucky that night.

The following night was the same- she stood there wearing the black panties, and he was in his birthday suit- but now he was wearing a black condom.

She looked at him and asked: "What's with the black condom?"

He replied, "I want to offer my deepest condolences...."

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What to expect this Black morning of a Thursday in Ipoh

http://en.suarakeadilan.com/top-story-1/2009/05/6554

Suara Keadilan Online : English Edition » Black Thursday: Live Cover of the Perak assembly sitting

8.15 am People have begun milling at the Ipoh Padang nearby. FRU and police personnel closely watching them. Some are eating their breakfast and the mood at this point is quite relaxed, even festive, with a lot of chatting and handshaking.

8.05 am Supporters wearing black arm-bands and t-shirts have been spotted. Presumably, these are Pakatan Rakyat supporters, but today is a day when anything can happen! Party leaders have already warned of the high possibility of agents provocateurs sent by their arch rivals Umno-BN to create friction.

8.00 am All roads leading to the main gate of the building from Jalan Kuala Kangsar, Jalan Silibin, Jalan Lahat and Jalan Hospital have been temporarily closed, causing traffic congestion in busy parts of the town. Roadblocks were set up at many places since last night and as early as 7 am this morning, police began cordoning off roads within 500m of the Perak Darul Ridwan.

7.50 am May 7, Black Thursday is here. Both Pakatan Rakyat Menteri Besar Nizar Jamaluddin and Umno’s Zambry will lead their teams to the Perak Darul Ridwan Building soon.

All eyes will also be on V Sivakumar, who as Speaker has in his hand an array of powerful discretions.

The question is, will he be allowed to use them or will he be foiled as Umno uses Might in the form of the police and state secretariat staff to overcome Right at this crucial sitting.

Four motions, all initiated by Zambry, are due to be tabled this morning, including the removal of Sivakumar as Speaker. If Zambry succeeds in putting a new Umno-friendly Speaker, it is possible that he may try to table more resolutions in the form of emergency motions.

The other three motions that have been proposed are the election of new members for the Public Accounts Committee, Standing Orders Committee and Special Privileges Committee.

Sivakumar has stressed that he was never informed of all four motions until the notices were already issued, possibly by his recalcitrant Abdullah Antong Sabri.

The Regent of perak Nazrin Shah will officiate at the re-convening of the assembly which adjourned sine die on Nov 13. The sitting will begin at 10 am.



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What a difference the internet makes!

Before the widespread use of the internet, what happened in Perak would have been a done deal, without a squeak from the public…well, any noise would not be known without the newspapers, radio and television stations mentioning it.

Now, nothing can be completely covered up. Anything newsworthy can be posted in numerous websites and blogsites which can be forwarded by anyone who finds it interesting, to friends and family members all over the world.

Someone asks if it is possible to stop the internet. Well, even if the government were silly enough to consider closing all the gaps, it would seriously affect the banking and other industries, which rely on online transactions and transmissions. It would be turning the clock back without being able to effectively curb the spread of adverse criticisms of the government.

What is posted, cannot be completely retracted because someone, somewhere might have saved it in his computer. In any case, even deleted stuff can be retrieved by computer whiz.

Anyway, it is so easy to spin in the net. Take for example, an article about the goodness of bananas. I can easily use the same details and substitute with another fruit, and forward it to a few friends. If the original article is well written and convincing enough, the recipients would think it is good enough to let others know about it by forwarding to numerous addressees in their contact list!

Later this morning, I would expect some exciting news, probably some gaffes by either side of the political divide. Somehow, I would not be surprised with some state assemblymen missing for one reason or the other! I secretly hope for some turncoats to turn over… fat hope really.

Last Christmas evening, I attended a charity dinner in Pusing where Speaker, Sivakumar and Deputy Speaker, Hee Yit Foong were guests of honour. Besides Sivakumar, Hee gave a speech too and I can still recall she said she was grateful for the support the people had given her in the last election. A committee member of the organizers actually had a heart attack while sitting next to Siva, and he died soon after admission to Batu Gajah hospital. Was it a bad omen? I wonder.

Is there a silver lining for our silver state of Perak at the State Assembly sitting?
I have my doubts as the expected pomp and pageantry in the presence of our Sultan and strong police presence will give the impression that it is ‘all proper’ as far as they are concerned and we can either ‘take it or leave it’.
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