The Ghost Of 513

Airports and Aerobridges

In his blog (posted on Aug 22, 2011), Peter Tan highlighted disabled people's need for aerobridges:

When the disability movement in Malaysia does not speak in one voice, everybody becomes confused, disabled people themselves included. The issue of aerobridges at KL International Airport 2 (KLIA2) clearly shows the split.

Do disabled people need aerobridges to board planes at the KLIA2? Christine Lee, whelchair user and co-ordinator of the Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport Group (BEAT) thinks it is needed and was quoted by Bernama as saying:

“The MAHB decision not to include aerobridges is a step backward and taken in the wrong direction,” she told reporters at a gathering attended by some 30 people with various disabilities to express their displeasure over this matter, here today.

“If underdeveloped countries can have aerobridges at their airports, why is Malaysia, which is a step away from developed nation status, regressing to third world infrastructure and service provision,” said Lee of the Barrier-free Environment and Accessible Transport (BEAT).

She added that aerobridges should and must be made a universal feature in all airport designs and developments.

(Disabled Community Pushes For Aerobridges At KLIA2 – August 20, 2011)

However, Anthony Thanasayan who is also a wheelchair user and Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ) councillor opines otherwise as reported in The Star:

He said he personally did not think it necessary for the aerobridges to be installed as ambulifts could cater for the disabled.

“What’s wrong with using ambulifts? Able-bodied passengers don’t need the aerobridges,” he said, adding that he was more concerned with the toilet and ramp designs at the new low-cost carrier terminal.

(Disabled group insists on aerobridge at new KLIA2 terminal – August 21, 2011)

Who should Malaysia Airports, and for that matter, the government and all other infrastructure providers, listen to? One party says we need aerobridges which is not only a convenience for disabled people but also to senior citizens, pregnant women, children and adults with prams. On the other hand, the other party says that ambulifts are sufficient.

Read more HERE.

PAS reveals another 'phantom voter centre'

According to Malaysiakini (Aug 16, 2011):

PAS says it has more evidence of the government covertly issuing MyKad to foreigners and relocating locals, who are then inserted as BN Trojan horses in the Pakatan-held elected constituencies.

"A resort in Cherating, Kuantan, is being used as a processing centre as well as to distribute the MyKad.

"The centre is used for two purposes, one to hold and then coach foreigners who are then given Malaysian identity cards," PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali ( right ) told a press conference at the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.

"The other purpose is to process locals, who are then transferred to other voting districts."

The opposition has long been accusing the BN of such covert activities, allegedly using phantom voters who are inserted to swell the votes for the ruling coalition in areas it lacks popular support.

It has claimed that foreigners who are issued MyKad and the relocated locals will then vote for BN as coached and instructed during their induction at the ‘processing centres'.

"I disclosed this yesterday at a press conference outside Kuala Lumpur, but it was not reported," lamented Mustafa.

Read more HERE.

My name is "Kg Baru"

Report from FreeMalaysiakini (Aug 9, 2011):

The individual with the strange name is registered in Besut but the MyKad no belongs to someone else.
The Election Commission (EC) has been found to have registered a voter named 'Kg Baru'.

At the same time, a new search has turned up more names in the electoral roll without a record in the National Registration Department (NRD) online database.

According to the EC online verification system, 'Kg Baru' (MyKad: 830527115422) is a voter registered in the state constituency of Hulu Besut and parliamentary constituency of Besut, Terengganu.

However, a check with NRD online system revealed that the MyKad number is assigned to one Noraini binti Abdullah (left).

"The question is, how can the EC make such a shameful mistake? How did it happen?” asked Johor PAS Youth chief Suhaizan Kaiat, who discovered the flaw.

“Does (EC deputy chairperson) Wan Ahmad Wan Omar still think this is an issue that should only be answered by the EC clerk?"

Read more HERE.

Press Freedom

Report from FreeMalaysiaKini (July 26, 2011) :

CIJ says the ruling government should let media regulate themselves on their own. Following a lukewarm from mainstream media top editors, a media watchdog today described the proposed media consultative council by the government as a “media propaganda council” which would serve as another layer of media control. “If the ruling government is serious about fostering media freedom, it should repeal or amend all ( media-related) laws and let media regulate themselves on their own, with input from civil society and in the interests of the public,” said Masjaliza Hamzah, executive director of the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ). Hence she called on all press people who were invited to the closed- door meeting chaired by Information, Communication and Culture Ministry secretary-general Kamaruddin Siaraf(right) yesterday, especially the National Union" of Journalists (NUJ), to reject this government-led initiative. “The public deserves an independent media which puts public interest first, rather than answer to the political masters of the day,” she said. According to those who attended the poorly-represented meeting yesterday, the editors were “about 100 percent” against government involvement in the council, worrying that the council would further muzzle the already battered mainstream media.

Read more HERE.

The Political Dinosaur

Report from FreeMalaysiakini (July 17. 2011):

Back in form after the Bersih vanishing act, the Perkasa chief plays tit for tat with Star's Wong Chun Wai in his usual ketuanan fashion.

Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali today hit out at Star editor Wong Chun Wai for calling him a “political dinosaur”.

“So, I want to tell right in front Wong Chun Wai's face, you can write and fool others but not the dinosaur Ibrahim Ali.”

“I'm proud to be a Malay dinosaur who will protect at any cost for those who try to write a new 'social contract' for Malaysia, that is Persekutuan Tanah Melayu,” said the prickly leader of the right wing Malay rights group in SMS to the media.

He was responding to Wong's column published today titled 'Talk less listen harder'.

Read more HERE.

Marina Mahathir And Bersih 2.0

Report from Malaysiakini (July 18, 2011):

The Malaysian government feels threatened, is in a total state of panic and cannot think clearly, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's eldest daughter Marina Mahathir says.

“They do feel threatened because they underestimated Bersih in 2007 and then in the 2008 general election, they lost a lot of seats in Parliament and the state assemblies.

"And since then, they have been in a state of total panic and they can't think clearly at all. Now they are obsessed about how to win them back.

“You can win back people just by being nice. You can't win back people by being nasty. You can't say that those people who marched are hooligans. Maybe there was a handful, not all of them.

"The majority of them were professionals. The group was so diverse and it was really one Malaysia - young, rich, poor of every race, creed and every religion,” she told Malaysiakini in an exclusive interview.

On July 9, Marina (right) took part in the Bersih 2.0 protest, with her daughter and friends.

They started from near Jalan Pudu (Berjaya Times Square) and walked along Jalan Hang Jebat (formerly Davidson Road) in front of Stadium Negara towards the Olympics Council of Malaysia building, where she encountered other friends.

She added that the people who marched were proud of the Bersih 2.0 movement. “I may not agree with your cause but you did a really good thing. We all became One Malaysia.

Read more HERE.

Yellow Saturday Night

Report from Malaysiakini (Jul 12. 2011) :

The Bersih 2.0 steering committee has called for 'Yellow Saturdays' as a show of continued support for the movement's eight demands for electoral reform.

Bersih 2.0 chief S Ambiga called on all Malaysians to wear something yellow every Saturday as a peaceful show of support for the demands.

"Until such reforms are made, we ask the rakyat to wear yellow every Saturday. It doesn't matter if it is a shirt or anything ...," she told a press conference.

Ambiga said despite the “overwhelming” public support for Saturday's rally, there still remains the task of pushing forward the eight demands outlined in Bersih 2.0's memorandum for free and fair elections.

Read more HERE:

"Aunty Bersih"

Report from The Malaysian Insider (July 11, 2011)

Quiet has settled over Saturday’s chaos but one image is still making waves on the Internet — the picture of an elderly woman in yellow, drenched in rain and chemical-laced water, walking away from riot police while clutching on to a long-stemmed flower and a near-empty mineral water bottle.

She is Annie Ooi, a 65-year-old retired English teacher who took a bus from Setapak in the early morning of July 9 to join thousands of others in Bersih 2.0’s march for free and fair elections. An unknown man had offered her the flower in the morning and she waved it like a flag throughout the four-hour march.

Netizens have dubbed her “Aunty Bersih”, and even Malaysia’s “Lady of Liberty”, for placing her health and safety at risk to join a march the government had declared illegal.

Pictures of the diminutive Ooi strolling in the war zone that Kuala Lumpur had turned into are all over the Internet, inviting messages of awe and wonderment from netizens across the country.

On Facebook, at least three fan pages were set up in dedication to Ooi immediately after the event. One page called “Malaysian Lady of Liberty” attracted 17,176 “likes” as of 9am this morning.

Ooi was one of the few who dared to turn up in yellow to mark the occasion, despite earlier warnings that those with clothes indicating support for the outlawed Bersih 2.0 coalition would be arrested.

Speaking to The Malaysian Insider through her daughter over Facebook chat last night, Ooi confirmed that she had been tear gassed four times and sprayed with the water cannon once during Saturday’s pandemonium.

She said she was unsure of what time the rally was scheduled to start or where, but was determined to support its cause by participating in it even if she had to do it alone.

Read more HERE.

'Tidak Apa' Attitude

Angry Birds And Road Blocks

From The Malaysian Insider (July 8, 2011):

Several offices sent their staff home early today as police began locking down the federal capital ahead of the Bersih rally calling for free and fair elections tomorrow.

National oil company Petronas sent their staff home at 4pm today while other offices in the 88-storey Petronas Twin Towers closed for the day after lunch. It is understood the management of the Suria mall beneath the iconic twin towers will also put up blockades around the shopping complex as a security precaution although it remains open to the public.

City police have already closed off Dataran Merdeka in the middle of the city today but most roads will be closed from midnight.

The roadblocks and diversions will affect entry points along the entire stretch of Jalan Syed Putra, Jalan Istana, Jalan Bukit Petaling, Jalan Bellamy and the area surrounding Istana Negara, police said in a posting at the www.rmp.gov.my website.

Also affected would be the area surrounding the National Mosque in the Lake Gardens area, covering the entire stretch of Jalan Sultan Hishammuddin, Jalan Lembah Perdana and Jalan Chenderasari.

Read more HERE.

Donations: Support Bersih in its moment of need

Bersih needs financial support. The following is from Dato' Ambiga Sreenevasan's open letter to the public.

To read further or learn how to donate to Bersih 2.0 please click HERE.

I would like to thank all Bersih supporters for your kind outpouring of support thus far. Bersih 2.0 has come a long way in carrying the aspirations of the rakyat for clean and fair elections, and it is the rakyat themselves above all who have made this possible.

We have faced massive obstacles, vilification and oppression, but inspired by the bravery of the Malaysian people, managed to overcome them all thus far.

Like many other Steering Committee members, it has been challenging personally to face threats of murder, gang rape and various other violence directed against myself and others. Nonetheless, we understand our responsibility in holding the line on behalf of all of you who want nothing more than a clean electoral system and a better Malaysia.

Malaysians both at home and abroad have already been called to make so many sacrifices, so while we do not aspire to add to your burdens, we are writing this in the hopes that you can spare some support.

The cost of our campaign increases every day, complicated by constant harassment by the authorities. In addition to our operational expenses listed below that are necessary to organising our gathering successfully in a peaceful and secure environment, we find ourselves having to raise money to bail staff at the secretariat of Bersih 2.0 that have been unjustly arrested and are now facing charges that make no sense whatsoever. Having key staff detained will cripple our operations in devastating ways. ....

Here We Come

From The Malaysian Insider (July 7, 2011)

Bersih has insisted that it will not move its rally away from Stadium Merdeka on Saturday, stating that it was too late for its supporters to change their plans.

Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, who leads the electoral reforms movement, told reporters after meeting the Inspector General of Police that Bersih would go ahead and apply for a police permit and permission from the stadium’s administrators as soon as possible.

“Some of our supporters may still head to Stadium Merdeka,” she said, despite police chief Tan Sri Ismail Omar’s advice that they move outside the capital city.

“I am horrified that the federal government told us to go to a Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state. Is the federal government trying to tell us that PR is better?” Ambiga added, referring the suggestion made by Barisan Nasional (BN) yesterday.

Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim had already offered to host the rally at the Shah Alam Stadium.

Ambiga, who was accompanied by Bersih steering committee member Wong Chin Huat and national laureate A. Samad Said, said that they were initially rejected by Stadium Merdeka for not having a police permit in advance.

More HERE.

From 'Bersih' To 'Kotor'

From FreeMalaysiakini.com (July 6 2011):

Two Perak lawmakers switch to 'Kotor' T-shirts to poke fun at the police crackdown on those wearing Bersih 2.0 T-shirts.

"They don't want to be Bersih (clean), so we give them Kotor (dirty)."

That was one reaction to Gopeng MP Dr Lee Boon Chye this morning, when he return to the Gunung Rapat wet market in Ipoh where he had been arrested for wearing a yellow Bersih 2.0 T-shirt last week.

Along with Simpang Pilai assemblyperson Chan Ming Kai - who had also been arrested last week for the same reason - Lee and PKR Perak members found amusement on their walkabout, wearing shirts with the word Kotor emblazoned on it this time.

A spoof on the Bersih 2.0 T-shirt, it has 'X' instead of a tick, while the words bersikan pilihanraya (clean up the elections) is replaced with 'BN' and '53 tahun' (53 years in power).

The link to FreeMalaysiakini is HERE.

Samad Said: Stop cari makan!

According to Malaysiakini (Jul 3, 2011), "A Samad Said urged intellectuals to stop being 'carma' but dare to make a stand against cruelty and injustice.

"He coined the word 'carma' which is the acronym of 'cari makan' (seeking to profit), during political satirist and cartoonist Zunar's book launch last night at Kuala Lumpur.

"Writers seldom take a stand. Most of them are 'carma' and are always prepared to not take a stand. This has caused all the evil to grow and spread tremendously.

"The septuagenarian then directed his criticism against editors of mainstream media which has been demonising the July 9 rally called by Bersih 2.0 in favour of free and fair elections.

"Fortunately there is still a small number of writers who dare to take a stand, who know that Bersih is pure," he said.

Note for Non-Malaysian reader: A Samad Said is a Malaysian poet and novelist.

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