Nation moving towards dictatorship ?

Offensive on bloggers: Nation moving towards dictatorship
Noor Hamzah

The West values freedom of speech, writing and thinking. Where speech is free, opinion is valued, no matter how stupid our views.

So it is a shock to me that Malaysia is moving to curb bloggers on what they write.

Khairy Jamaluddin, the son-in-law of the prime minister, reportedly said: ‘Dakwa penulis blog. Biar monyet lain takut’ (Charge bloggers in court. Let the other monkeys get scared).

Are we priming the country towards dictatorship? Like, ehem, Pakistan or previously, Iraq? Are we reducing parliament to be a mere rubber stamp for the incoming dictator? Notice that Khairy makes the call first, then Umno politicians follow suit and formulate policies which will then be rubber-stamped by the rest of the BN coalition.
(more from Malaysiakini here)





Meanwhile,it is official, monkey blogger Jeff Ooi on Tuesday confirmed that he had joined Malaysia's main opposition party the DAP, saying that he now wished to participate in the legislative process of parliamentary democracy.

Jeff Ooi, a prominent blogger fighting a libel suit, announced he has quit the Gerakan party in the ruling coalition to join the DAP to fight against government curbs on online dissent.

Ooi, who writes political commentaries on his "Screenshots" blog, is one of two bloggers who were sued by the government-linked New Straits Times daily for making allegedly libelous postings about the paper and its leadership.

I do not want people to misconstrue my intentions, which is why I have launched my political blog – parliament.jeffooi.com – to convey my thoughts and agenda," he said.

“I cannot remain a fence-sitter if change is to happen,”

he said at a welcoming party held by the DAP (Democratic Action Party) here on Tuesday.

Jeff has created waves in the Malaysian blogosphere. We await a tsunami from him in the political arena, said Lim Kit Siang.

Jeff’s statement of the reasons for joining the DAP is an eloquent expression of patriotism of a Malaysian, illustrating that patriotism is an integral part of all Malaysians and not the monopoly only of those who hold office or high positions. This makes the 50th Merdeka anniversary particularly significant.

I do not want to use the “monkey” language but this will be one of the challenges of Jeff Ooi, together with others in the political arena, to fight back the creeping law of the jungle and to restore the rule of law in Malaysian political and public life.

It has been said that Jeff Ooi’s decision to join the Opposition is a loss to blogging.

It should not be so. It should be a gain to both politics and blogging in Malaysia, enriching both.

I will like to see more politicians taking up blogging and more bloggers entering politics.

After all, blogging particularly socio-political blogging is not an end by itself but a means to an end and a time must come when bloggers must decide whether they should “dirty their hands” and make the transition from advocacy of their political ideals in cyberspace to enter the political terrain to be able to directly translate their ideals into action.

There is the perception that politics is dirty. It it is not politics that is dirty.. Politics is an honourable calling demanding conviction, passion, selflessness and sacrifice. If politics is regarded as dirty, it is the politicians who make politics dirty. Let bloggers get directly involved in politics to cleanse and rid it of “dirty”, unscrupulous and unprincipled politicians!

( Lim Kit Siang's Speech at the “Jeff Ooi’s Welcoming Party” as member of DAP in Petaling Jaya on Tuesday, 31st July 2007 at 11 am)

Visit Jeff's political blog @ http://parliament.jeffooi.com

If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys

"There are no laws in the cyberworld, except for the law of the jungle.

As such, action must be taken so that the MONKEYS behave. "
-Khairy Jamaluddin,
UMNO Youth Deputy Chief

The Malaysian bloggers ie 'Monyets/Monkeys' as classified by UMNO Youth Deputy Chief, Khairy Jamaluddin, are :

Lim Kit Siang, Jeff Ooi, Ahiruddin Attan, Anwar Ibrahim, Bakri Musa, Azly Rahman,(deleted), Husam Musa, Malik Imtiaz Sawar, Zainol Abideen ("Mahaguru58"), Ronnie Liu, Ruhanie Ahmad, Raja Petra Kamarudin, Marina Mahathir, Nuraina Samad, Hajjah Fuziah Salleh, Rustam Sani, Ahmad Zaki Yamani, Faisal Mustaffa

A.Kadir Jasin, Bernad Khoo (Zorro) , Syed Shahir, Dato Shahrir Abdul Samad, Shieh ("Kickdefella") Haris Ibrahim, Kula Segaran, Imran Idris, Captain Yusuf Ahmad, Dr. Hsu Dar Ren, Husin Lempoyang, Hizami Iskandar, Susan Loone, Syed Imran ("Kuda Ranggi"), Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Nizam Bashir, Zaharin Mohd Yasin ("Sang Kelembai"), Annuar Mohd Nor, Ibnu Hakeem, Hishamuddin Rais,

Amir Hafizi, Mohd Adib Nor, Nathaniel Tan, Zaharah Othman ("choc-a-blog"),Patrick Yeoh ("Niamah"), Fathi Aris Omar, Amin Yatim ("Cuit Sikit"), Khalid Jafar, Amin Iskandar, Ahmad A. Talib ("Pahit Manis"), Pak Idrus (In Passing -Malaysian") , Saari Sungib, etc .

(Note: this monkey got the list from Malaysianunplug)

And we have goblok bloggers.
And we have warning from Malaysian leaders
And we have Police report lodged against PM for Sedition posting.
And, Cyberspace is a new political frontier and the fact is the rules of the game have changed.

What a wonderful Blogsphere !

Iraq win first-ever Asian Cup title

Iraq : 1


Saudi Arabia : 0

Skipper Younis Mahmoud's thumping headed goal crowned Iraq as the Asian Cup champions for the first time with a stirring 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia in the final here Sunday.

Mahmoud rammed home the 71st-minute header off a Hawar Mohammed corner for the only goal in the fiercely-contested all-Arab final over the three-time champion Saudis in a seething Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

The Saudis had been bidding to become the first four-times winners of the tournament but Iraq, riding a wave of global sentiment, upset the hot-favourites for a rare slice of sporting glory.

The win is the pinnacle of a fairytale run to the title by the Iraqis, who were forced to prepare for the tournament outside their homeland as a result of the continuing security situation in their homeland.

Saudi Arabia had been the best attacking team in the tournament, scoring 12 goals on their way to the final, but could not find a way past the Iraqis, who had the best defence in the competition, conceding just two goals in six matches.

Few people had given Iraq any chance of winning the tournament after a haphazard preparation brought about by the war at home and facing opponents who were appearing in their sixth final in 23 years.

Iraq were forced to train and play their qualifiers in neutral countries and their coach, Brazilian coach Jorvan Vieira, who said he planned to quit after the match, only had two months to mould a team that included Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish players.

None of the Iraqi players have been untouched by the war and although they have tried to mask their grief, there were constant reminders of the sectarian violence at home.

At least three players in the squad have lost relatives in the past two months and all the players wore black armbands during the final in memory of the 50 people killed by suicide bombers after Wednesday's semi-final win over South Korea.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who was at the Gelora Bung National Stadium for the final, said Iraq's achievement had inspired millions and was proof of sport's unique power to unite people in the most desperate circumstances.

Lawyer Jokes

How many personal injury attorneys does it take to change a light bulb?

* How many can you afford?
* Three - one to turn the bulb, one to shake him off the ladder, and the third to sue the ladder company.


What's the difference between a good lawyer and a great lawyer?
A good lawyer knows the law. A great lawyer knows the judge.

What do you call 5000 dead lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?
A good start!

What's the difference between an attorney and a pit bull?
Jewelry.

How can you tell when a lawyer is lying?
His lips are moving.

How does an attorney sleep?
First he lies on one side, and then on the other.

How do you get a group of lawyers to smile for a picture?
Just say "Fees!"

"You seem to be in some distress," said the kindly judge to the witness. "Is anything the matter?"
"Well, your Honour," said the witness, "I swore to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but every time I try, some lawyer objects."

A new client had just come in to see a famous lawyer.
"Can you tell me how much you charge?", said the client.
"Of course", the lawyer replied, "I charge $200 to answer three questions!"
"Well that's a bit steep, isn't it?"
"Yes it is", said the lawyer, "And what's your third question?"






and, some Funny lawyer quotes:

* There are three sorts of lawyers - able, unable and lamentable. - Robert Smith Surtees

* Whoever tells the best story wins. - John Quincy Adams

* A Lawyer will do anything to win a case, sometimes he will even tell the truth. - Patrick Murray

* Ignorance of the law excuses no man - from practicing it. - Adison Mizner

* In almost every case, you have to read between the lies. - Angie Papadakis

* A lawyer is a gentleman who rescues your estate from your enemies and keeps it for himself. - Lord Brougham

* A man is innocent until proven broke. - Anonymous

Malaysia an Islamic state? —Farish A Noor

Notwithstanding the overt ban on media discussion of the Islamic state issue, Malaysia’s internet community has been active in keeping the question alive and well on dozens of websites and blogs all over the country

A word, once uttered, can seldom be withdrawn. This is true for most of us and particularly true for politicians who forget that we now live in an age of modern communications technology where every sentence, every utterance, even every burp, hiccup and indiscreet bodily emission will be recorded for posterity.

What has now become a maxim of politics was amply demonstrated recently by the remarks of the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Tun Razak, who claimed during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur that Malaysia is an ‘Islamic state’ that has ‘never been affiliated’ to a secular position, and that that Malaysia’s development ‘has been driven by our adherence to the fundamentals of Islam’. (Bernama, 17 July 2007). Needless to say, the Deputy Prime Minister’s remarks were a cause of concern for many Malaysians who — for the past fifty years or so — have been living under the assumption that the country was a constitutional democracy and not a theocratic state.

In due course protests issued from all quarters, ranging from the Malaysian urban liberal elite to the leaders of the mainly non-Malay non-Muslim parties of the country; demanding clarification on the issue and a re-statement of the fundamentally secular basis of Malaysia’s politics. As public frustration increased, the Malaysian government reacted as it is wont to do. While the Malaysian Prime Minister is on holiday in Australia, the government issued a blanket media ban on all discussion of the matter, on the grounds that it can only lead to even more public anger and misunderstanding between the racial and religious communities of the country; despite the fact that the source of the misunderstanding and discomfort was the Deputy Prime Minister’s remarks in the first place.

Notwithstanding the overt ban on media discussion of the Islamic state issue, Malaysia’s internet community has been active in keeping the question alive and well on dozens of websites and blogs all over the country. Indeed, as developments over the past few years have shown, it is the internet where most of the really interesting and meaningful political discussions have been and are taking place.

The Malaysian authorities have been decidedly apprehensive about the role that the internet can play in deciding the tone and tenor of Malaysian politics, and for this reason numerous conservative politicians of the ruling National Front coalition have been calling for a curb on the activities of bloggers and those who post their ideas in cyberspace. The accusation most often levelled against them being that they spread ‘lies’ against the state and tarnish the image of the leaders of the country; a charge that resonates well in some other repressive states where dissent is likewise treated as a security threat, such as North Korea and China.

Just a week ago a Malaysian blogger — Nathaniel Tan — was arrested and taken if for questioning by the police due to some postings related to allegations of corruption against politicians in the country. Now that a blanket ban has been used to close the forum of public debate on the Islamic state issue, worries have been raised about whether this marks yet another attempt to clamp down on cyberspace and silence the bloggers and cyber-writers.

Following the arrest and subsequent release of Nathaniel Tan, another prominent Malaysian cyber-writer, Raja Petra Kamarudin, who runs the hugely popular www.Malaysia-today.net site has had a police report filed against him by Muhammad Taib, former Chief Minister and member of the ruling UMNO party. The UMNO leader claims that Raja Petra, through his articles and postings on Malaysia-today.net had insulted the king, degraded Islam and incited hatred in the country.

As yet it is not known which of Raja Petra’s postings are said to have been insulting to King and country, though he dismisses the accusations as being baseless. According to Petra: ‘This has nothing to do with allegations about misrepresenting Islam, though such an accusation is the most convenient since when I write about religion I am expressing my personal opinions which are subjective and can therefore be discussed. But what really upsets them are my exposes on corruption in the country, which have been backed up with documents I have posted on the site. How can they refute that?’

Indeed, Raja Petra’s site has been receiving hundreds of thousands of hits daily precisely because of his exposes on corruption among politicians, businessmen, Malaysian criminal networks as well as the Malaysian police force; the last of which has taken a battering over the years due to a series of scandals and exposes related to cases of police brutality, deaths in custody and of course the now-infamous beating of the former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim.

Activists, journalists and legal experts are now worried about what this may hold for the future, for the arrest of Nathaniel Tan and the police report against Raja Petra would suggest that moves are being made to silence the messengers on the internet. In the words of prominent Malaysian lawyer Malik Imtiaz: ‘It would be regrettable if this latest action is part of a wider campaign to close down the public domain of speech and discussion on crucial matters such as Malaysia’s constitution and the question of whether Malaysia is an Islamic state.’

In the midst of this, the Malaysian government’s reaction has been one of denial and retaliation. The country’s state-controlled TV channel RTM1 featured an editorial piece condemning local Malaysian newspapers that ‘cause trouble’ by raising sensitive issues on race and religion; while leaders of the ruling UMNO party continue to mouth a rhetoric of ethno-nationalism that is replete with communalist sentiments. The contradictions are clear, as is the paralysis of a government whose leader is on holiday while the messengers remain in the firing line.
(Source)

Dr Farish A Noor is a Malaysian political scientist based at the Zentrum Moderner Orient in Berlin, and visiting professor at Sunan Kalijaga Islamic University, Jogjakarta



Read also : " Malaysia's mid-life crisis " by Ioannis Gatsiounis. Asia Times Online :

" In the larger scheme of things, Najib's comments might have been meaningless. UMNO has long relied on communal rhetoric to sustain its five-decade grip on power. But the comments also come at a time when the nominally secular country is undergoing what some view as a pronounced Islamization; when several court decisions have denied individuals the right to be recognized by the religion of their choosing; when race relations are on the skids; and when official provocation is on the rise - all as the country finds itself in the throes of a mid-life crisis. "

"In response to Najib's remark, the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a component party of the BN coalition, issued statements assuring its constituency that Malaysia is a secular state. UMNO Youth chief and Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, famous for speeches in which he brandishes Malay daggers and warns Malaysia's minority Chinese and Indian communities not to question Malay "supremacy", hit back by telling the MCA (sans dagger this time) not to issue "any more statements that Malaysia is a secular state".

Reporters Without Border slams Malaysia over threat to bloggers

An international media watchdog Thursday accused Malaysian authorities of trying to intimidate bloggers after a minister threatened to use harsh laws to control what they post.

Nazri Aziz, minister in the prime minister’s department, had warned that bloggers who offend could be charged under a harsh law which allows for indefinite detention without trial.

“It is outrageous to see a minister threatening to jail bloggers who have managed to create an unprecedented space for free expression in Malaysia,” Paris-based Reporters Without Border (Reporters Sans Frontieres, RSF) said in a statement.

“Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s government is the target of mounting criticism and its response seems to be repression,” the press freedom organization said.

Nazri’s threat came after a senior politician from the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO) lodged a police report earlier this week against a political website, Malaysia Today.

UMNO information chief Muhammad Muhammad Taib alleged that postings on the blog insulted Malaysia’s king and Islam, and contained elements that could cause racial tension.

Website editor Raja Petra Kamarudin said he was questioned by police for eight hours on Wednesday.

In a brief article written after his release, he said “the police are not looking at any of my articles but are focusing on the comments in the blogs.”

“The bottom line is, what you post in the comments section may get me sent to jail under the Sedition Act,” Raja Petra said.

The minister had said bloggers who insult the king and incite racism could be charged under three laws, including the Sedition Act and the draconian Internal Security Act, which allows for indefinite detention without trial.

“Citing the need to combat attempts to incite racial hatred or insult the king, the internal security ministry is trying to intimidate dissidents, especially dissident blog­gers,” RSF said.

The organization also highlighted other prominent cases against bloggers and called on authorities to drop charges against them.

Nathaniel Tan, an aide to former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, was detained by police for four days over an anonymous posting on his blog referring to corruption allegations against a minister.

Malaysia was placed 92 out of 168 countries according to respect for press freedom in the latest RSF ranking of nations.
--AFP


Reporters without Border - Government goes to war against bloggers using arrests and interrogation

Reporters Without Borders today condemned a recent wave of online censorship and harassment of outspoken bloggers as Malaysia approaches its national holiday on 31 August and gears up for early elections at the start of next year.

“Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s government is the target of mounting criticism and its response seems to be repression,” the press freedom organisation said. “Citing the need to combat attempts to incite racial hatred or insult the king, the internal security ministry is trying to intimidate dissidents, especially dissident bloggers.”

Reporters Without Borders added: “It is outrageous to see a minister threatening to jail bloggers who have managed to create an unprecedented space for free expression in Malaysia. We call for charges to be dropped against bloggers Raja Petra Kamarudin, Nathaniel Tan, Ahiruddin Attan and Jeff Ooi. At the same time, the national press must be allowed real editorial independence.”

Malaysia was placed 92nd out of 168 countries in the latest Reporters Without Borders ranking of nations according to respect for press freedom.

Nazri Abdul Aziz, who holds the position of minister in the Prime Minister’s Department with responsibility for justice, said yesterday that the government would not hesitate to use the Internal Security Act against bloggers who tackle sensitive issues. Under the ISA, someone who is deemed to have threatened state security can be held without trial for two years. Aziz added that the government had until now been “very patient.”

Science and technology minister Kong Cho Ha warned last December that the government planned to introduce regulations designed to prevent “ill-intentioned” use of the Internet and the posting of information by bloggers that harmed Malaysia’s “social harmony.”

Political commentator and blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin (also known as RPK) was interrogated for eight hours today by police about articles he recently posted online, including one entitled “See you in hell Muhamad son of Muhamad.” He was also asked about the identity of people who had posted comments about his articles. The summons for questioning was the result of a complaint brought against him on 23 July by the ruling United Malays National Organisation.

Kamarudin, who edits the independent website Malaysia Today, posted an article on 11 July that is deemed to be an insult to the king and incitement to racial hatred. He claims to be read by more than 300,000 people a day and is known for criticising Prime Minister Badawi and other politicians. He faces a possible three-year prison sentence.

Blogger Nathaniel Tan, a member of the opposition Justice Party (PKR), was released on 17 July after being held for four days. Local sources said he was detained because his blog contained a link to a website with information about a corruption case involving internal security minister Johari Bharum. The information was deemed to be a violation of the Official Secrets Act.

Last January, the management and former editors of the New Straits Times daily sued two outspoken bloggers, Jeff Ooi and Ahiruddin Attan, over articles they had posted which argued, with the help of detailed examples, that some of its reports and editorials lacked objectivity.

Read also : Gov’t striking fear among bloggers

Charter 2000-Aliran is deeply disturbed by recent developments that could restrict the space for freedom of expression over the Internet and curb the democratic right of bloggers to air their opinions. It is especially worrying because the Internet is one of the few avenues left for concerned Malaysians to freely express views and gain access to information that is normally not carried in the mainstream media.

The arrest of blogger Nathaniel Tan a few weeks ago and, more recently, the police interrogation of ‘Malaysia Today’ webmaster Raja Petra Kamaruddin reinforce the suspicion that the government is intent on striking fear among Internet users, especially bloggers. It appears to be resorting to overt means of political intimidation to create a culture of self-censorship within the blogging community.

Some of these bloggers have provided incisive political analyses and practised a degree of investigative journalism. Their critical commentaries have obviously irked the powers-that-be, who may have found them too revealing for their comfort – especially with a general election drawing closer.

The authorities’ actions are not only a step backwards for media freedom but also a climbdown from the official guarantee not to censor the Internet. This pledge was firmly expressed by the Barisan Nasional government when it was trying to draw foreign investors into the Multimedia Super Corridor.

De facto law minister Mohd Nazri Aziz has now issued a chilling threat that the government will not hesitate to use the Internal Security Act and the Sedition Act on bloggers for postings that are supposedly ‘sensitive’ and ‘insulting to Islam and the King’. This sort of intimidation reflects an inability or unwillingness to appreciate the democratic spirit that is inbuilt in civilised debates and discussions.

Strong-arm tactics and warnings such as these will shut the door to meaningful interaction and dialogue and deprive the government of a golden opportunity to gauge public response to official policies and their implementation.

To say that only the country’s top leaders are allowed to articulate their views on certain issues – as was the case with Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak’s unilateral pronouncement that Malaysia is an Islamic state - and that no one else should comment on them reflects a poor understanding of what constitutes a democracy.

Not only is such a stance undemocratic, it also indirectly spawns grievances and dissatisfaction among citizens, who will find themselves unable to articulate their views in public. And we are all too aware of – and concerned about - the possible consequences of suppressing and bottling up collective grievances.

Dr Mustafa K Anuar and Anil Netto (via Malaysiakini)

(The writers are coordinators, Charter 2000-Aliran.)

Attacks against media and bloggers could be a move to secure control before elections

Malaysia-today.net webmaster Raja Petra Kamarudin, who is being investigated for alleged sedition, emerged defiant as ever yesterday after spending eight hours at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters.

He was summoned for questioning following a report lodged by Umno on Monday alleging the blogger had insulted the King and Islam in his website.

The 57-year-old blogger arrived about 11am, accompanied by his wife Marina Abdullah, 50, and friends. He was believed to have given a statement and met district police chief ACP Mohd Zulkarnian Abdul Rahman.

He emerged at 7.15pm to be greeted by about 30 reporters.

Mohd Zulkarnian said earlier that Raja Petra was being investigated under the Sedition Act.

Malaysiakini reported that Popular blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, 57, who is being investigated for insulting the King and Islam, has urged his readers to be responsible when posting comments on his website.

what you post in the comments section may get me sent to jail under the Sedition Act,’

he tells his readers.


Raja Petra is known for his frequent criticism of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and other government figures.

"I was alleged to have insulted the king, and also Islam and incite racial hatred, so I am going in there to reply to all these charges. I promise I'm going to give them a hell of a tough time," he told the BBC before he turned himself in.

He defended his website, saying: "Many people, especially the non-Malays in this country, do not have a forum to air their views."

"We should not deny these people a chance to vent their feelings," he said.

Malaysia Today is believed to attract around a quarter of a million visitors a day, giving it more readers than most Malaysian newspapers.

The BBC's correspondent says that with a general election on the horizon, the government seems keen to send a signal to its online critics that it will only tolerate so much.


ANWAR IBRAHIM’S MEDIA STATEMENT:

Re: Police Action on Raja Petra

25 July 2007

I condemn the intimidation by the government and police towards Malaysia-Today’s Webmaster, Raja Petra Kamaruddin.

The action against Raja Petra began as a police report and followed by speeches criticizing bloggers by a few UMNO leaders including Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak. This is the latest intimidation on webmasters and bloggers following the arrest of my secretary Nathaniel Tan recently.

I demand the police to use their time to investigate the numerous allegations of corruption involving government leaders published by Malaysia-Today and to fight the rising rate of crime that is plaguing the country. Various reports have been made on present and former government leaders that have not been followed up, yet a report against a webmaster is immediately investigated by the police.

Malaysians need open-minded and forward-thinking leaders, not those still trapped by an outdated political culture and unable to grasp the technological realities of today. At a time when UMNO leaders are demanding bloggers to be responsible for their writing, I urge the UMNO leaders and police not to forget their responsibilities towards the Malaysian rakyat.

Anwar Ibrahim


M. Bakri Musa's comments:

I could not add to or agree more than what had been so clearly expressed by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The summoning of Raja Petra to the police station was uncalled for. The police should have instead questioned this double Muhammad on the serious allegations made by Raja Petra. Surely the police do not have to be told to do their job, or are they like the rest of the civil service, menuggu perentah (awaiting orders)?

If this double Muhammad has any sense of integrity, he should have sued Raja Petra if those allegations are untrue.

M. Bakri Musa

An e mail alert sent by Wai Fong (CIJ)

CIJ Say: Attacks against media and bloggers could be a move to secure control before elections

BY: CIJ
26 July 2007

In recent months, the Malaysian government's rhetoric on punishing "irresponsible" bloggers is being translated into reality. Websites and blogs have been targeted one after another, and on the flimsiest pretext. The axe seems to fall on a particular group of bloggers and online writers who demonstrate due precautions, including identifying themselves, moderating their postings and checking their facts. Their predicament challenges the government claims that these writers disseminate lies and rumors and call into question the government's real motive.

All of these blogs and websites share a common thread in writing about corruption and misuse of power by the government top leaders, for which Malaysiakini.com and blogger Nathaniel Tan say is the explicit reason why they have been targeted. An expose in Raja Petra Kamaruddin's blog Malaysia Today for example has been catalytic in getting the Inspector General, Musa Hassan to be investigated by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA), while Malaysiakini.com's follow up story on the Sarawak "timber kickback" has forced the Sarawak state chief minister to respond. The collective effect of these online content is that they highlighted the government's poor performance in its promised fight against corruption, a promise which secured a landslide victory for the Barisan Nasional Coalition in 2004. In March, the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) noted that the foreign investor's perception on corruption in the country had worsened, and adding salt to the injury is the outbreak of a few scandals, such as the blow to the ACA's credibility when its director-general, Zulkipli Mat Noor was implicated for corruption by a former colleague, and the acquittal of Eric Chia, the former technocrat for national steel corporation Perwaja from the charges of misappropriating more than RM70million (USD20million) in fund.

The threats and intimidation of bloggers have been ongoing, but the latest warning against bloggers reported on 25 July is the strongest to date. The de-facto Law Minister, Nazri Aziz threatened to use the Internal Security Act (ISA) which means detention without trial against bloggers, in addition to the Sedition Act.

The warning comes closely after a string of events. On 23 July, UMNO lodged a police report against the owner of the blog Malaysia Today, Raja Petra Kamarudin, charging the latter as insulting the King, over comment posted by others in his blog. Malaysia Today often carries stories about the internal issues of UMNO politics, corruption by the higher echelons of police and the alleged interference of the Prime Minister's son in-law, Khairy Jamaludin in the country's administration.

On July 13 police nabbed blogger and National Justice Party (PKR) staff Nathaniel Tan and held him for four days under the widely criticized Official Secrets Act. Nathaniel was accused of possessing documents alleging the deputy minister of Internal Security, Johari Baharum of corruption, but the said document is again an anonymous comment posted on his blog and a link to a website accusing Johari. Nathaniel was subsequently released without a charge.

Three days earlier, the youth wing of the ruling party, UMNO filed a complaint against blogger Tian Chua, also the Information Chief of PKR. He was investigated under the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) following the publication of a photomontage dubbed "dinner-for-three". The picture is a response to the ongoing trial of a Mongolian national who was murdered last year. One of the accused in the trial, Abdul Razak Baginda is a close aide of deputy prime minister, Najib Abdul Razak. The picture depicts the DPM, the Mongolian murder victim lookalike, and Abdul Razak Baginda at a dinner.

In June, Malaysiakini.com was also sued by the Sarawak state chief minister Taib Mahmud. The online daily published a story implicating Taib Mahmud and his family members as the recipient of RM32 million (USD9 million) in kickbacks in return for timber export concessions.

These vocal blogs and websites stick out like sore thumbs against the context of the government inaction against corruption. They break the legislative barriers of information, such as the Printing Presses and Publication Acts, imposed by the government on print media and the CMA that regulates TV and radio stations. Over the years, government officials have been increasingly wary of the growing influence of blogs. It is claimed that the blogs of Jeff Ooi, Ahirudin Atan and Raja Petra each enjoy a readership of over a million while for Malaysiakini.com the figure is three million pageview per-month. The Ministry of Internal Security issued directives twice to mainstream print media not to quote from online sources, while in June the government announced it will set up a taskforce to, among others, study ways to circumvent the Multimedia Bill of Guarantee, which hitherto limits the government from censoring the Internet.

It is apparent from the various cries and whines by government officials, ranging from members of parliament, senators to ministers, deputy ministers and senior leaders of UMNO calling for Internet to be censored, that they are only concerned about the perceived damage upon government leaders because of the online content. The Prime Minister himself has stated that bloggers and online writers "misuse their freedom" and have used the web space to slander him.

The vigilante mentality against the media and individual expressions also comes at a time when talk of a general elections is gaining momentum. The Malaysian mainstream media is known for its lopsided and biased reporting in favour of the ruling coalition during elections, and the clampdown against bloggers, and even the mainstream media for opposition coverage, is indicative of the government's control over critical information.

Using the preservation of public order and security as an excuse, the government embarks on high-handed actions against the above bloggers and websites, but instead of chasing after the anonymous commentators, it acts against the writers who dared to put their names on what they write and who try hard not to fit into the government's labeling. For Malaysiakini.com, Taib Mahmud's defamation suit sends the chill across the local media industry.

It seems that the government, failing to control the free-flow of information in the cyber space as it does in traditional media, is resorting to intimidation tactics, particularly on opposition views and allegations of corruption.

---

More than 10 million websites are currently being "filtered" in Iran, according to the state Information Technology Company.

The range of blocked websites includes a handful of pornographic, political, or human rights-related addresses and even some forum websites.

At a time when the country suffers from what human rights defenders describe as a severe "information crackdown," a group of young Iranians inside the country is determined to battle the dominant policy of online censorship imposed by the Iranian leadership.

The group Iran Proxy is formed by some Iranian youngsters who believe that this "new dictatorial barrier" must be fought from inside of the country -- and that they must remain underground to be able to do so.

Iran Proxy describes itself as the first anti-filtering group inside Iran. It says it is focused on introducing and promoting simple -- and yet technologically advanced -- ways of helping Iranian users skirt web filters.

Read :" Proxy Battle To Counter Internet 'Filtering'"

RPK - You Will Never Walk Alone !

The road is long, with many a winding turn
That lead us to who knows where, who knows where?
But I’m strong, strong enough to carry you
You ain’t heavy - you’re my brother
So on we go, your welfare is my concern
no burden are you to bear, we’ll get there
For I know you would not encumber me
You ain’t heavy - you’re my brother
If I’m leaving at all, I’m leaving with sadness
that everyone’s heart isn’t filled with the gladness
of love for one another.
It’s a long, long road, from which there is no return
While we’re on the way to there, why not share?
And the load doesn’t way me down at all
You ain’t heavy - you’re my brother

- Haris Ibrahim, The People’s Parliament

Raja Petra summoned to Dang Wangi 11.00am today

Malaysia Today

Raja Petra Kamarudin has been summoned to the Dang Wangi Police Station, Jalan Staduim, at 11.00am today (25 July 2007) for his statement to be recorded with regards to the police report made by the Umno Information Chief. It is believed a second police report has also been made with regards to the article Raja Petra wrote called ‘See you in hell Muhamad son of Muhamad’.


Meanwhile, Raja Petra Kamarudin has expressed his ‘thanks’ to Umno for the millions of hits that his website Malaysia Today has received over the past two days.

The Malaysia Today webmaster cheekily said the number of visitors to his website have doubled since a police report was lodged against him. (Malaysiakini)


Police summoned a Malaysian political writer for interrogation Wednesday over Web articles lambasting the government, after a minister warned that bloggers could be jailed without trial for writing recklessly about sensitive matters such as religion.

Raja Petra Kamarudin, who runs the independent news site Malaysia Today, was told to surrender to police after the ruling United Malays National organisation filed a complaint Monday claiming his articles mocked Islam and threatened racial harmony in this multiethnic, mostly Muslim nation, said opposition activist Ronnie Liu.

The party, which helms Malaysia's governing coalition, urged police to act against Raja Petra, who is known for frequently slamming Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and other prominent figures over issues including alleged corruption and cronyism.

Police officials and Raja Petra could not immediately be contacted. On Monday, Raja Petra said he would "fight back on the Internet," claiming the government wants to shut his popular website and have him arrested.

Many leading Malaysian websites and blogs offer political commentaries that sometimes slam government policies, prompting calls from officials for tighter controls. Political parties in Abdullah's government coalition control much of Malaysia's traditional media.

Malaysia's de facto law minister, Nazri Abdul Aziz, said late Tuesday the government was drafting new laws for bloggers and would not hesitate to use existing regulations such as the Internal Security Act _ which allows for detention without trial _ against bloggers who insult Islam or stir sensitive topics, the national news agency Bernama reported.

"I want to issue a warning that the time has come for us to take action against them," Bernama quoted Nazri as saying. "This is not aimed at eliminating the freedom of speech but to wipe out the freedom to cheat, defame and hurt people, so that blogs can really be a source of correct information ... (and) not a platform to hurl abuses at people."

Worries about online freedom mounted after officials earlier this month said they were probing Tian Chua, an opposition politician, for possible slander after he posted a fake photo on his blog linking Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak to a high-profile murder.

Separately, a Malaysian blogger, Nathaniel Tan, was held by police for five days last week over comments posted on his website linking a deputy minister to corruption. Tan claimed his detention was meant to strike fear among government critics.

Raja Petra is expected to be investigated for sedition, which carries a maximum prison term of three years and a fine for offenders.



Umno Youth Hails Action Against Errant Bloggers

The Umno Youth movement said it fully supports the government's move to act against webmasters and bloggers who flouted the law and belittled the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Its Economic Bureau chief Datuk Reezal Merican Naina Merican said although they were free to voice their opinions, they should do so responsibly.

"Those found guilty of insulting the king must be brought to justice," he said.

---

Citizens In Solidarity with Raja Petra and Freedom of Speech !

To: The Government of Malaysia

Citizens In Solidarity with Raja Petra and Freedom of Speech !

Bloggers United ! Malaysian Citizens United ! Supporters of Freedom of Speech United !

We, hereby, Malaysian Citizens, the Boss of the Malaysian Government demand to be given the Freedom of Speech and Discussion.

We call for the government to respect the Malaysian Constitution in Freedom of Speech.

We protest against the formation of similar draconian, non-transparent, oppressive acts that undermine the freedom of the cyberspace such as certain sections of ISA, OSA, SA, UUCA and PPPA.

We protest the action against Raja Petra Kamaruddin, who is one of the Top 20 Asian Progressive, a Towering Malay Malaysian. We, Malaysian Citizens see it as a way government to clampdown on bloggers, cyberspace and freedom of speech !

Link:
http://www.worldbusinesslive.com/search/article/655151/top-20-asian-progressives/

We do not find any writings of Raja Petra Kamaruddin offensive. We protest any potential attempts to close down Malaysia Today, an avenue for freedom of speech !

We call the Malaysian government to not emulate China's Communist control on cyberspace !

We call the Malaysian government to investigate the corruption allegations supported by documents provided in Malaysia Today website.

We, Malaysian Citizens, the Boss of the Malaysian Government demands the government to investigate and clampdown on Corrupted Officers in a highly transparent manner and not Whistleblowers and Bloggers.

We, Malaysian Citizens urge that Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib be excluded from party, Members of Parliament Candidacy and elections until his name is cleared on the allegations in Malaysia Today.

We, Malaysian Citizens, the Boss will translate the actions of the Government into election votes. Malaysian Citizens choose and vote their government through democratic means !

Freedom of Speech, Constitution of Malaysia and Agong rules !

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

Sign the Petition

‘See you in hell Muhamad son of Muhamad’




Update :

Malaysiakini reports that Malaysia Today owner Raja Petra Kamarudin spent eight hours at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters having his statement recorded over a police report lodged by Umno.

Malaysia Today webmaster was asked to reveal the identity of persons who had posted comments in his site.

Another Malaysian Messenger in the Firing Line

Poster courtesy of Mob's Crib

Press statement/Letter to the Editor by Dr. Lim Teck Ghee on UMNO Police Report Against Raja Petra

I am writing in defense of Raja Petra Abdullah and his commentaries in his website, Malaysia-Today.net. This website contains some of the finest and most incisive political analyses and commentaries on the problems and ills that beset our nation. Malaysia-Today.net is simply without peer – whether as a whistle blowing or expose revealing resource or as a barometer of the pessimism and cynicism that many Malaysians feel when given freedom to express their views. Whilst some of the comments that are contributed by the website’s considerable following – especially on racial and religious issues – may appear over-exuberant, they are no more than the honest - if sometimes – passionate views and sentiments of our own citizens who write in precisely because they love the country and want it to be a better place.

Raja Petra’s own writings have not only been consistently factual, balanced and temperate. In his investigation of the many follies in our nation, he is providing that model of fearless, patriotic and ethical journalism that can help bring about higher standards of governance and behavior, especially from our leaders.

A fair-minded government should not for one moment entertain - let alone pursue - the false charges that have been leveled against him by UMNO. I hope good sense will prevail - and Raja Petra and Malaysia Today can be allowed to continue unhindered in their good work aimed at achieving a better Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, 24 July 2007.


M. Bakri Musa’s comments:

I join Dr. Lim Teck Ghee and others in condemning this police report lodged by UMNO. Just as I thought we had breached the depth of stupidity with Najib Razak’s utterance of Malaysia being an Islamic state, out comes this news of an UMNO Vice-President lodging the police report.

Without being unduly Pollyannaish, I see some good coming out of this bizarre police report. I always knew this double Muhammad to be utterly corrupted but I did not know that he breached his scholarship bonds or that his divorce settlement to his wife, the Sultan of Selangor’s daughter, was a cool $12 million ringgit. Thanks to Raja Petra, now we know.

This is the Muhammad who was acquitted on a criminal charge of trying to smuggle a couple of millions in cold cash on the technical grounds that he could not understand the customs declaration forms! This begs the question, if this graduate of a local university could not understand English (no surprise there), how could he follow Raja Petra’s exposes that are written in English?

That soiled characters like this double Muhammad could rise so high in UMNO reflects more on the nature of UMNO. UMNO in turn reflects more on our Malay culture and norms. That is the tragic part.

I am glad and not at all surprised that Raja Petra, far from being cowered by this latest challenge, is being emboldened. The kucing kurap of UMNO cannot rustle this lion of a prince.Thank Allah that Malaysia is blessed with such individuals as Raja Petra.

M. Bakri Musa

clipped from news.yahoo.com Malaysia denies crackdown on bloggers KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Malaysia's deputy prime minister denied the government is clamping down on bloggers after a prominent ruling party politician lodged a police report against a website, reports said Tuesday. "Some of the offensive comments are capable of threatening racial stability and national security. The comments show that they do not respect the law," Muhammad said according to New Straits Times. The incident comes after Nathaniel Tan, an aide to former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, was detained by police for four days over an anonymous posting on his blog referring to corruption allegations against a minister.

Farish A. Noor :

Just a week ago a Malaysian blogger – Nathaniel Tan – was arrested and taken if for questioning by the police due to some postings related to allegations of corruption against politicians in the country. Now that a blanket ban has been used to close the forum of public debate on the Islamic state issue, worries have been raised about whether this marks yet another attempt to clamp down on cyberspace and silence the bloggers and cyber-writers.

Following the arrest and subsequent release of Nathaniel Tan, another prominent Malaysian cyber-writer, Raja Petra Kamarudin, who runs the hugely popular www.Malaysia-today.net site has had a police report filed against him by Muhammad Taib, former Chief Minister and member of the ruling UMNO party. The UMNO leader claims that Raja Petra, through his articles and postings on Malaysia-today.net had insulted the king, degraded Islam and incited hatred in the country.

As yet it is not known which of Raja Petra’s postings are said to have been insulting to King and country, though he dismisses the accusations as being baseless. According to Petra: ‘This has nothing to do with allegations about misrepresenting Islam, though such an accusation is the most convenient since when I write about religion I am expressing my personal opinions which are subjective and can therefore be discussed. But what really upsets them are my exposes on corruption in the country, which have been backed up with documents I have posted on the site. How can they refute that?’

Indeed, Raja Petra’s site has been receiving hundreds of thousands of hits daily precisely because of his exposes on corruption among politicians, businessmen, Malaysian criminal networks as well as the Malaysian police force; the last of which has taken a battering over the years due to a series of scandals and exposes related to cases of police brutality, deaths in custody and of course the now-infamous beating of the former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim.

Activists, journalists and legal experts are now worried about what this may hold for the future, for the arrest of Nathaniel Tan and the police report against Raja Petra would suggest that moves are being made to silence the messengers on the internet. In the words of prominent Malaysian lawyer Malik Imtiaz: ‘it would be regrettable if this latest action is part of a wider campaign to close down the public domain of speech and discussion on crucial matters such as Malaysia’s constitution and the question of whether Malaysia is an Islamic state.’

In the midst of this, the Malaysian government’s reaction has been one of denial and retaliation instead. The country’s state-controlled TV channel RTM1 featured an editorial piece condemning local Malaysian newspapers that ‘cause trouble’ by raising sensitive issues on race and religion; while leaders of the ruling UMNO party continue to mouth a rhetoric of ethno-nationalism that is replete with communalist sentiments. The contradictions are clear, as is the paralysis of a government whose leader is on holiday while the messengers remain in the firing line. Full text here .

Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.

Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad believes that there is an attempt by the government to curb voices of dissent on the Internet

"Yes there is an attempt. But you cannot stop people from using the Internet." […]

Mahathir said in the past, his administration would have liked to ban Internet pornography but it was "impossible" because, among others, the content was based overseas.

"Same with bloggers. You can’t stop them," he stressed. (Malaysiakini here)


Read also : " Growing trend towards stifling dissent " written by Dr Toh Kin Woon, executive councillor of Penang from Gerakan :

The recent arrest of Nathanniel Tan, a blogger and the call by Umno to the police to take action against ‘Malaysia Today’, a much visited blog by Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin, reflect the growing trend towards stifling dissent in our country.

Despite earlier promises of allowing freedom of the electronic media as part of the effort to promote the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), the government has reneged on these promises by suppressing blog sites deemed to air views critical of the government.

The action against Tan and the call to take action against ‘Malaysia Today’ are the latest in a series of undemocratic moves by the government. Another recent action in this series of moves was the ban imposed on the mainstream media by the Internal Security Ministry on the publication of views challenging the statement by Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak that Malaysia is an Islamic state.

In Malaysia, politics is without mercy

Is the axe finally coming down in the Malaysian cyberspace after the four-day arrest of Nathaniel Tan with the high-level Umno police report against Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin, the webmaster of the popular political website, Malaysia Today?

In his article “A game of cat and mouse” on his website yesterday, Raja Petra had floated the theory put to him by “people in the intelligence community” that Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman and Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan had met Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who is currently in Australia to “discuss Malaysia Today, plus get Pak Lah’s blessing and permission to close Malaysia Today down and arrest me” in view of the “damage Malaysia Today has inflicted on the image of Sabah, the Royal Malaysian Police, and Pak Lah personally”....more from Uncle Kit.

According to Malaysiakini, Umno has filed a police report against political website Malaysia Today for allegedly publishing disparaging remarks against the King and Islam. According to the Umno information chief, the postings and articles in the political website contained disparaging remarks against the King and Islam.(Read also the News from Star here)

Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang says that the report against Raja Petra and the arrest of Nathaniel Tan indicated that the axe was finally coming down in Malaysian cyberspace.

WE WERE DECLARED AN INDEPENDANT DEMOCRATIC SECULAR STATE IN 1957.

5O YEARS ON WE ENCOUNTER MORE CRIMES, MORE MURDERS, MORE RAPES, RAMPANT CORRUPTION, A TAINTED JUDICIARY AND POLICE FORCE, DRACONIAN LAWS LIKE THE ISA AND OSA THAT PROTECT THE CHICANERY OF THE ELITE, AND WE ARE BEGINNING TO SEE THIS FREE INDEPENDENT COUNTRY TURNING INTO A POLICE STATE.

SO WHAT'S THERE TO CELEBRATE?
EXCEPT TO DECLARE IN SOLIDARITY "HIDUP BUGIS BLOGGER"

- Zorro Unmasked

Read also In Malaysia, politics is without mercy BY FARISH A NOOR

Two hunters from Michigan

This is from a radio program, a true report of an incident in Michigan:

A guy buys a brand new Lincoln Navigator for $42,500 and has $560 monthly payments. He and a friend go duck hunting in winter, and of course all the lakes are frozen. These two guys go out on the lake with the guns, the dog, and of course the new vehicle. They drive out onto the lake ice and get ready.

Now, they want to make some kind of a natural landing area for the ducks, something for the decoys to float on. In order to make a hole large enough to look like something a wandering duck would fly down and land on, it is going to take a little more effort than an ice hole drill.

So, out of the back of the new Navigator comes a stick of dynamite with a short, 40-second fuse. Now these two Rocket Scientists do take into consideration that they want to place the stick of dynamite on the ice at a location far from where they are standing (and the new Navigator), because they don't want to take the risk of slipping on the ice when they run from the burning fuse and possibly go up in smoke with the resulting blast. They light the 40-second fuse and throw the dynamite.

Remember a couple of paragraphs back when I mentioned the vehicle, the guns and the dog? Let's talk about the dog: A highly trained Black Lab used for RETRIEVING. Especially things thrown by the owner.

You guessed it, the dog takes off at a high rate of doggy speed on the ice and captures the stick of dynamite with the burning 40-second fuse about the time it hits the ice. The two men yell, scream, wave their arms and wonder what to do now.

The dog, cheered on, keeps coming. One of the guys grabs the shotgun and shoots the dog. The shotgun is loaded with # 8 buckshot, hardly big enough to stop a Black Lab. The dog stops for a moment, slightly confused, but continues on. Another shot and this time the dog, still standing, becomes really confused and of course terrified, thinking these two geniuses have gone insane.

The dog takes off to find cover, under the brand new Navigator. ----BOOM!---- Dog and Navigator are blown to bits and sink to the bottom of the lake in a very large hole, leaving the two idiots standing there with this "I can't believe this happened" look on their faces.

The insurance company says that sinking a vehicle in a lake by illegal use of explosives is not covered. He still had yet to make the first of those $560 a month payments!

And you thought your day was not going well?

Shut Up !!

DPM Najib Tun Razak, a man who, as a UMNO Youth Chief, threatened to bathe his keris in Chinese blood and yet, got away with it to become the deputy prime minister, said that Malaysia has never been a secular nation as the government has always been driven by the fundamentals of Islam.

Hishamuddin Hussein. Umno Youth Chief, the man who did the keris weilding, asked its Barisan Nasional partner MCA to cease its public campaign to declare Malaysia as a secular state.

Excerpt from Berita Harian :

Pergerakan Pemuda Umno meminta pemimpin MCA berhenti daripada mengeluarkan kenyataan yang mendakwa Malaysia sebagai sebuah negara sekular kerana tindakan itu tidak membawa manfaat kepada sesiapa.

“Saya beri amaran kepada pemimpin MCA supaya berhenti membuat kenyataan sedemikian. Ingin saya tegaskan, saya bukan pemimpin naif yang akan membenarkan perkara ini berterusan. Amaran saya ialah berhenti membuat kenyataan,” katanya selepas merasmikan mesyuarat Umno Bahagian Ranau, di sini semalam.

I taught the Internal Security Ministry has issued a directive to all mainstream media to stop reporting on Islamic state debate ?

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak sparked a storm last week when he declared that mostly Muslim Malaysia was not secular but an Islamic state that protects the religious rights of minority groups.

Government leaders, opposition parties, lawyers and activists have condemned Najib's comment, saying Malaysia was set up as a secular state by the country's first leaders after independence from Britain in 1957.

The Internal Security Ministry has issued a directive to all mainstream media to stop reporting on the issue, said a ministry official, who asked not to be named due to the sensitive nature of the issue.

"We want to stop this issue being aggravated into becoming a public debate as this will create tension," he told The Associated Press. "This is a very sensitive issue... As far as possible, we want to prevent (any racial) tension."



Non-Muslims see it as a worrying sign of growing Islamisation in the country

THERE is nothing like the mention of 'Islamic state' to send non-Muslim Malaysians into a hand-wringing tizzy.

It is a label laden with a tonne of baggage, and chilling when used by a senior government leader....more.


Malaysia, A Secular State or an Islamic State?

by Chandra Muzaffar

Malaysia is not a secular state within the conventional use of the term. Neither is it an Islamic state in the classical sense.

It is not a secular state since the Malaysian state formulates policies and organizes activities from the building of mosques and the administration of the Hajj, on the one hand, to the establishment of Islamic schools and the dissemination of Islamic awareness through public broadcasting channels, on the other, which demonstrate that it is actively involved in sustaining and strengthening the position of Islam in society. Judicial pronouncements and political utterances from the past which suggest that Malaysia is a secular state do not in any way negate the fact that the state has functioned in a non-secular mode, especially in the last three decades.

Nonetheless, for the majority of contemporary Muslim jurists, Malaysia is not an Islamic state since its constitution does not state that governance is based upon the Qur’an and Sunnah (the way of the Prophet Muhammad). Neither is shari’ah the supreme law of the land. Hudud (the Islamic criminal code) is not in force anywhere in Malaysia. These are legal and political attributes of state which are found in almost all those countries that are acknowledged as ‘Islamic’.

More than the actual situation prevalent in Malaysia, there are perceptions of what a ‘secular state’ is, and what an ‘Islamic state’ will be, which have shaped the outlooks of both Muslims and non-Muslims in the country. For a lot of Muslims, the term ‘secular’ connotes antipathy towards, or worse, rejection of, religion in the life of the nation. Since Islam encompasses all aspects of life, including government and politics, the idea of a ‘secular state’ has become anathema to them. Similarly, for many non-Muslims, an ‘Islamic state’ conjures up a frightening vision of Malay dominance reinforced by religious dogmatism. These perceptions – even if they are misconceived – carry tremendous weight and impact directly upon inter-ethnic ties.

This is why it is unwise to insist that Malaysia is a secular state or an Islamic state. There is no need to do this. It will only widen the chasm between the communities. It will exacerbate ethnic tensions.

Why is it necessary to categorize Malaysia as a secular state or an Islamic state when the character of the Malaysian state, its guiding principles and goals, and its vision of the future, have already been spelt out with such lucidity and clarity in the three fundamental documents that were meant to be our signposts in the last 50 years? The most important of these --- the Malaysian Constitution--- embodies a dozen or so basic principles which tell us what this nation is. In a nutshell Malaysia means;-

1. A parliamentary form of government based upon the concept of one person, one vote.
2. A federal system of governance.
3. A constitutional monarchy.
4. The supremacy of the rule of law.
5. An independent judiciary.
6. Protection of fundamental liberties.
7. Malay as the national and official language.
8. The right to use and study other languages.
9. Islam as the religion of the Federation.
10. Recognition of the right of non-Muslims to practise their religions.
11. The special position of the Malays and other indigenous peoples.
12. The legitimate interests of the other communities.

These principles enunciated in 1957 when we achieved Merdeka were reiterated in one form or other in the Rukunegara, the nation’s charter, in August 1970. It is significant that the first of the five principles of the Rukunegara is Belief in God. Young Malaysians recite this and the other four principles in school every morning but what is not emphasized at all are the five goals of the Rukunegara--- the goals of a united, just, democratic, liberal and progressive nation. Twenty-one years after the Rukunegara, its principles and goals were further elaborated in the nine strategic challenges of Vision 2020 which include the creation of a moral and ethical society.

If we reflected upon the Malaysian Constitution, the Rukunegara and Vision 2020, it would appear that they represent a trajectory in the evolution of the nation’s identity and character. It is as if the three documents embody the steady maturation of the Malaysian state and society.

It is important to emphasize at the same time that most of the principles and goals articulated by the three documents do not in any way contradict the universal values of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Indeed, in certain respects, they seek to give meaning to some of the eternal concerns of the religion about justice, accountability and ethical conduct. Likewise, those who subscribe to a secular vision of society which is not antagonistic to the Divine, would applaud the fact that the Constitution, the Rukunegara and Vision 2020 uphold such principles and goals. In other words, when we go beyond labels such as ‘secular’ and ‘Islamic’ and connect with the substance of our three principal documents we will discover that there is a degree of congruence between the two positions.

This is why as we observe the fiftieth year of our Merdeka, we should reiterate our trust and confidence in the three documents that speak to the spirit of the Malaysian people and their shared destiny. To embroil ourselves in the unending controversy about whether we are a secular state or an Islamic state is to forfeit our future.