An Account of 1st August, 2009 – ISA Demonstration

Cherubim was there. This is a witness account.

Like any other sane protester, Pewaris and GMI alike, all of us took the LRT. It’s kind of amusing to watch a bunch of middle-aged to elderly men wearing ketayaps and white T-shirts proclaiming their affiliations and riding the same train with black and red-clad folk to pretty much the same destinations, when we were supposed to oppose each other.  Along the way, I saw at least 50 blue-clad policemen and their tents, chilling at Masjid Jamek. Even around KL Sentral, I saw more policemen under a brige.

Okay, I thought. Paranoid, much?

At around 1:30pm Cherubim and her fellow protester walked to Istana Negara, but since it was too early we were blocked by a significant number of police and too small number of us. So we walked to SOGO instead. That was around 2:30pm (yes, we walked a lot) when we arrived at Pasar Minggu Jalan TAR. The usual crowd; kids, families, keropoks, air nenas, and oh, the odd FRU truck and police vehicles or two.

Make that a fully loaded water cannon vehicle, several trucks filled with FRU troops fully equipped with gear from SWAT (we girls thought it cool) and they were shooting not merely at us, but at innocent bystanders, patrons of pasar minggu and hawkerstalls alike!

I was lucky, when I was about to go onto Jalan TAR, in a bizarre Cloverfield like feel, I saw the water that was shot at the people in the main road, then I saw everyone running my way. Stunned, I stood aside and just stood beside an equally clueless tourist where we witnessed the police vehicles and policemen in a crowd of 20 or so coming in and grabbing any poor fellow wearing black, red and having anti-ISA emblems on their Ts. Mostly young Malay men tho.

After they were gone, we continued our chant and went on the main road, and heard a few shots of tear gas. I got my very first taste of the day.  My eyes burned, my face burned, my nose burned, my throat burned. Some children were crying. Some families were in fear. A friend handed me some salt, which I gratefully ate to remove the sting of the gas, and washed my face thoroughly. Like many others, we covered our noses and our mouths, but those things are stubborn, and made in Arizona USA. During the last BERSIH demonstrations, I heard tell the pellets were from Israel.

When that cooled down, we peeked outside and hung out in front of SOGO, watching the police watching us there. Me & my friends amused ourselves checking out whether any of the younger policemen are cute. Heck, we wanted to take pictures, but was declined the request. Anyways, we got hungry, a little pissed that Secret Recipe (and their delicious frosty ice lemon tea) was closed, and went to this nice little cafe across the street.

We ate happily, some PKR dude apparently belanja all us citizen journalists there, we chatted with the people from Malaysiakini and others.

That’s when it really happened. I don’t recall exactly how many times the FRU cannon truck went back and forth, but I do recall that during one of the lulls we saw several people carrying effigies and picket signs “Mansuhkan ISA”. Also, they were joined slowly by people who were taking refuge, though when we heard the siren and the sight of FRU troops going in we had good sense to return inside the cafe. There were children and families inside the cafe, some of the kids were hit with the tear gasses that was repeatedly shot by the FRU. People escaped through the back door.

Around what, 4pm or 5pm or so, the FRU decided to spray the corners of the ends at Jln TAR, pretty much near the old cinema (ground zero of 13th May, according to my dad, who was a young man then), and I thought it had some ironic implications. Violence seems to like Jalan TAR. I heard the voices of many, I couldn’t determine where, but there were first screams, then outraged outcry, probably Mansuhkan ISA again. Then I heard more tear gas pellet shots.

So, anyway, I was chilling nearby the police, thinking, this was highly excessive. The policemen was nice to me and my friends, we’re technically media, but I thought to myself, I know they are following orders not necessarily in line with their personal opinion, I saw some of them hesitate before aiming and shooting. During the whole event, Pertahanan Awam knocked on shopgrills asking whether anyone was hurt, evacuating the injured, watching out for civillians with a seriously worried and slightly angered look on their faces. What I cannot and will not remove out of the equation is this excessive force and collateral damage.

Look, we all know that on Saturdays, SOGO is a family oriented go to place, as I have all my life with my own parents, we know that most likely there’d be families, not demonstraters there. Plus, in my long involvement with this kinda thing, when the police doesn’t come, after chanting for an hour we all get tired and go to the mamak stalls to chill before going home after 2 hours max. Thanks to the police and especially FRU, we have sufficient warped entertainment for 5 hours to 6 hours. Wow, talk about efficient crowd control.

Again, Cherubim argue that the authorities (we all know who runs the cops) should have let the protesters be. Make sure they don’t hurt anyone, and bonk a few belligerant heads, and things would have been fine. What’s happening now is that even shopkeepers, hawkerstall owners, etc etc are getting pissed off at the gomen.  We each protect each other, blind for once to the idea of race and religion, but conscious of the idea of humanity. Otherwise apathic and apolitical folk are now getting more and more involved.

Well, more fodder for the 14th GE.

P.S = Waaaaah, so many police, meh? How come crime rate still so high?

A Little Birdy…

Cherubim was told from a particularly reliable tweety bird that the three independent candidates in Penanti are in fact plants by Barisan Nasional, which makes a lot of sense, all things considered. I’m sure many of you are more familiar with the details in this war of public perception.

Cherubim was also informed that the next state to fall with similar underhanded tactics after Perak would be Selangor, and afterwards Kedah. The gears of this mechanism is currently in the process of being installed one by one, and I’m sure Tan Sri Khalid’s doing all that he can to counter this, however, I bid him to be swift.

Old news, I know, but it’s always nice to know it as the truth, as truth goes these days. I wonder, what is Pakatan Rakyat doing about this?

Black Thursday (7th May)

I received an email that calls out for everyone to wear black to express our dissatisfaction concerning the constitutional issue in Perak. Us Dandies propose, do wear black if you believe that the ruckus in Perak’s downright malicious and a nuisance (and I don’t mean one-sided, I mean on both sides of the issue). I certainly do. =)

Oh, we might prowl around with a camera capturing people wearing black, or not. How about everyone publishes pics of themselves (faces conveniently photoshopped out of course) wearing black together?

See ya!

—————–

KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — The Coalition for Free and Fair Elections, Bersih, today called on Malaysians to protest the power grab in Perak and put on a show of civil disobedience by wearing black on May 7 in conjunction with the sitting of the state assembly.

In a press conference today, Bersih accused Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak of orchestrating the political coup in Perak and lambasted him for allegedly failing to keep his promise made under his 1Malaysia philosophy which puts people first, saying that putting people first would mean giving the voters of Perak the chance to determine the state government.

Taking a leaf from other civil obedience movements such as those organised by Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and even Umno’s “berkabung” movement to oppose the Malayan Union, Wong Chin Huat, a spokesman for Bersih, urged Malaysians who oppose the power grab to “let everyone see a sea of black walking into an office, market, mosque, temple, church, college, park, bus… let us be united in one black colour to show the world that the 1Malaysia under Najib Razak is 1BlackMalaysia living in darkness.”

Bersih also criticised the BN for practising “old politics” and trying to clamp down on media coverage and peaceful gatherings.

The Perak government had initially allowed only selected media to cover the assembly sitting. However, the decision was later reversed by Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir.

The police have also warned political parties against organising mass gatherings in front of the state secretariat.

Teo Nie Ching, DAP’s federal legislator from Serdang, says that she was queried by the Police Special Branch after she tried to organise a bus to ferry supporters to Ipoh and expressed her disappointment with the Special Branch.

“Why stop us from going to witness the assembly?” she told reporters.

Lim Teck Ghee, who represented the Centre for Policy Initiatives, urged solidarity despite “a propaganda war” to tar dissenting views as unpatriotic and treasonous.

“It is the duty of Malaysians to oppose illegal and unconstitutional acts of power grabbing,” he declared. “We are the patriotic ones.”

Lim was referring to accusations from BN that Nizar was committing treason by going against the Sultan of Perak’s wishes that he resign as mentri besar.

The political crisis in Perak was triggered by the defection of four state representatives from Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to BN earlier this year, giving BN an edge in numbers over PR in the state assembly.

The Perak state assembly speaker however, claimed that three of the representatives who defected had resigned but this was disputed by the latter, who got the backing of the Election Commission.

Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin, who maintains he is the rightful mentri besar, then sought permission from the Sultan of Perak to dissolve the state assembly to pave the way for a state election but his request was rejected and he was told to resign instead.

Nizar refused to resign but at the same time, Zambry was sworn in as the new mentri besar by the Sultan on February 6.

Since then, PR and BN have been locked in a struggle over who is the legitimate government of Perak and whether or not to dissolve the state assembly.

—-

Sourced from MalaysianInsider.com

Najib’s ruthless plan to restore absolute power of UMNO?

I have been wondering why Barisan Nasional was behaving themselves. Maybe I was deluded into thinking, well, considering the grim global economic forecasts this year, they’re perhaps trying to save as many middle class in the country as possible. Think of something other than the rubbish economic stimulus packages that doesn’t seem to work long-term.  After all, people who pay taxes are those in the middle-lower class catagory, and the super rich usually gets aways without paying much. Except I forgot one thing, the reason BN’s political hold onto the country’s wavering is due to the fact that the middle class can afford internet access, is more or less well educated, and makes decisions on their own, rather than what is fed through the mass media. They don’t want that. No. So they decided to plan an ambush.

They were planning to topple the hold that the Pakatan Rakyat has in the 5 states one by one, using proven effective techniques.  The first technique we have seen is bribery, where there are those 4 from Perak who fell to the ploy. There is an alleged claim that the former DAP MP’s actually incurred numerous debts, and the woman chose her husband over her own other loyalties, or so the whispers in the wind say.  Second technique is the digging out dirt on the head or those who hold the parties together, as poor Elizabeth Wong has sufffered and Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim is finding out. The third is by psychological pressure, by giving death threats, putting the MPs in fear of harm to their families, which unfortunately knowing as how things are evolving in this country, might be carried out.

What all of us must understand is that the next Prime Minister of Malaysia (a dictator who would rival Mahathir’s iron grip, with less tact, less consideration for the economy, and a womanizer to boot)  is one ruthless sneaky fellow, and he’ll do anything to keep his imagined god-given right to rule and leech off the land. These people don’t care about us common folks who work 10 hour days and want only to be good at what their chosen profession does. No matter what, free access to the nation’s coffers would ensure that the powers that be in BN UMNO always be more than comfortable. They’re already wealthy, and the only way to keep things that way is to maintain hold on power in the country and be Deities (in their minds) above the law. No one is safe from being their pawns. Whatever it takes, it will be done.

Pakatan Rakyat as it is right now exists on a fragile balance. Everyone has ideals, everyone wants justice and equality, everyone has their own motives and reasons. Everyone is human. Make no mistake, Najib’s plan is to prey on PR MPs’ weaknesses, expose/threaten/pay them off then play dumb and innocent officially. PAS, for all their excessive enthusiasm for religion, does not lack of loyalty and solidarity amongst themselves, it is after all the Muslim way. Cannot the DAP and PKR do the same? We are facing a common enemy, it is now time to strategize and effective counter-attack. One has to be smart, and trust one another. They cannot break a bound bundle of sticks, but it’s easy to break them one by one untill all has fallen.

Pakatan Rakyat, worry, strategize, and prepare yourselves. This 4-year-term you have earned will be unchartered territory as far as Malaysian political scene is concerned. Everything is possible, even assasinations. Remember, the people have supported you, so kindly do you end of the bargain.

Keep Clasping Our Hands Together, People

Kuala Terengganu’s takeover by PAS didn’t just exhibit UMNO’s losing streak despite the alleged massive pumping of phantom votes, the unrepent generosity of contracts to companies, and growing dissent within its own ranks. It signified the dismal prospects of Dato’ Seri Najib since his presence and confirmation as the next Prime Minister of Malaysia did little to sway the voters present there. Even though the MSM analysts speculate that the Chinese voted for BN, one point remained true. The ones that voted for them were senior citizens who remembered 13th May as it was and feared irrationally of the coming days, especially with the poorly veiled threats and statements by our esteemed federal (coughBNcough) leaders.

Knowing the lack of originality and tendency to recycle old tactics, those elderly Chinese citizens of KT was probably on to something.

As a student of law, I am not unfamiliar with cases where the prisoners of government jails died during internment. I was privy to pictures of them, and sadly, yes, the cases of which classified information I was privy to included Indians. I was even told that these things were discreetly handled to prevent embarrassment to all parties involved. When I read the news (and my fellow Dandy beat me to it by channeling her outrage, much shared by all of us in the group), I was furious. I was sad. I felt badly for the family. However, I completely disagree their manner of protest during the funeral procession:

Understandable, though unwise.

The prisoners who were tortured and died in internment of government jails does not consist solely of Indians, but also Malays, Chinese and of other ethnicities that make up the same home that is Malaysia. To claim exclusivity and condemn purely on the race card is most unwise, not to mention provoking racial sentiments which is not in favor of the poor boy’s family’s cause, as well as everyone who has suffered excessive police force before.

Another concern of mine is that this might end up as fodder to the BN’s plan to continuously instill fear and dissent between us all. The only reason BN is in power is because of collective fear. Collective fear of supposedly ‘Melayu akan hilang hak istimewa’ (the Malays will lose their special rights), fear of ‘tak boleh cari makan’ (cannot make a living), the fear of not being protected and further abused, as well as being told you’re lucky to get what you’re already getting as it is. This fear can be twisted ever so slyly into a tool for the very folks we don’t want to be in the seats of power to maintain their hold, in their power addicted state.

Power is like drugs. Junkies would do almost anything to get their fix and keep a steady flow of it going. Be wary, and keep in mind that none of us can further a cause to protect our civil rights on our own.

I suggest if we are to oppose police brutality, we are to do it without playing the racial card. We shall do it together, because  Malaysia is OUR home, and WE are Malaysians.

Social Contract, Oh, Social Contract.

I do not require an unnecessary class on social contract. My syllibus is comprehensive enough.

One thing that I fail to understand is the repetativeness of certain persons of harping about the social contract being inviolate.

If I remember my Sejarah correctly, a social contract is an agreement between the person who rules and the citizens or subjects being ruled. Such an agreement would contain the surrending of certain rights by the citizens to the ruler(s) in exchange for order and security. It is the foundation of the society’s behaviour, conduct and rules. Far from being inviolate, it is well understood that as the society changes, the social contract evolves to accomodate the different eras that come by.

Do we not remember the story of the Sultan who slit open a pregnant woman’s stomach alive in order to retrieve the royal nangka that she ate as she craved it due to her pregnancy? For his cruelty, he is deemed to have lost his mandate to rule, and the woman’s husband slew the Sultan. Sultan Mangkat Dijulang. The point of the story is that the citizens have rights as human beings, while the rulers have a responsibiliy not to abuse the power entrusted to them.

These days we call our social contract the Federal Constitution. It is the only supposedly supreme law of the land which has been amended 46 times, surpassing even the amendments in the 250-year-old American Constitution, by way of 2/3 majority in the majority. The only persons allowed to amend it are the members of parliament, who are elected on a four-year-term basis by way of vote. BN has always enforced a type of block voting system where the MPs of the party, irrespective of how they thought about it, has no choice but to agree to any bill proposed by the party.

So what is the fuss about our social contract? All that I’m aware of is that at the time of its inception Malaya was squeezed in between the colonial British, the guerilla communists, and a miffed Indonesia who wants Malaya as part of its’ nation. At the time, KPMM came up with a social contract which is more acceptable to them compared to the one proposed by the Malayan Union and staged a successful hartal. In the end, UMNO took the social contract suggested by KPMM, edited it a bit to safeguard Malay rights, and grudgingly in the name of self-determination it was accepted as binding.

The non-Malay leaders realizes then that any protestations to the alternative social contract would affect fragile trust between the races then. So they accepted. However, fast forward 50 years now, is it still relevant? They ask us to not question the social contract, saying that it is a sensitive issue, and inviolate. To them I snort. Any form of codified law is meant to reflect the reality of the society. Just as the autocratic feudal society required a different sort of agreement between the Sultan and his subjects, it is just as prudent to consider that we now live in a democratic society of which freedom of expression (thank you Pak Lah) is a required check and balance for the betterment of society, of which different sorts of rules apply.

You cannot apply old agreements on new situations. Just as you don’t utilize the Malay Customary Law in regards to land matters anymore and refer to the National Land Code now, is it not prudent to revise a more permanant and feasible social contract so that it is in line with the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights? Just my thoughts, anyways. I say let’s call another independant Commission to do a proper clean sweep of the unfinished ad hoc mess that we have as a social contract right now.

Let’s redraw the lines.

IPTA disaran wujud kokurikulum jelas kontrak sosial Oct 21, 08 3:46pm

Universiti-universiti disaran supaya mewujudkan satu kokurikulum baru bagi memperjelaskan isu berhubung kontrak sosial yang sering menjadi perhatian pelbagai pihak sejak kebelakangan ini. Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin berkata penjelasan kepada generasi muda khususnya pelajar universiti adalah penting bagi mengelak kekeliruan di kalangan mereka. “Yang penting bukan mempersoalkan kontrak sosial tapi penjelasan supaya mereka faham apa itu kontrak sosial khususnya di kalangan generasi muda, kerana bukan semua faham mengenai kontrak sosial ini. “Oleh itu penjelasan dengan kaedah yang sesuai dan mengaitkannya dengan sejarah negara adalah penting,” Naib Presiden Umno itu kepada pemberita selepas menyampaikan ceramah bertajuk ‘Politik Melayu-Islam Kemelut dan Penyelesaian’ di Dewan Budaya Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) di Pulau Pinang hari ini. Ceramah anjuran Pusat Kajian Pengurusan Pembangunan Islam (ISDEV) dan Yayasan Nurul Yaqeen itu dihadiri oleh para pelajar dan tenaga pengajar USM, demikian menurut laporan Bernama. Selain itu katanya para pensyarah di universiti perlu memainkan peranan penting dalam memberikan penjelasan berkaitan dengan kontrak sosial. “Penjelasan yang berkesan penting kerana apabila pelajar  ini keluar dan bercampur dengan masyarakat, mereka akan mudah memahami konsep demokrasi dan perlembagaan Malaysia,” katanya. Muhyiddin berkata isu kontrak sosial sebenarnya sudah lama selesai dan ia harus diterima oleh semua pihak.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!

 

Seeds of hope?

WISHING EVERYONE A SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI, MAAF ZAHIR DAN BATIN TO ALL MUSLIMS WHO CELEBRATE IT.

We dandies lit some candles and walked…Anti-ISA!

Yesterday night was quite possibly the largest candlelight vigil ever held so far. We dandies who were there estimated around 3000 people from all walks of life, Malays, Chinese, Indians, who walked the talk with us.

There was a pregnant woman, and a man with one leg. Deep salute to you, macha!

Three of the dandies arrived early, since we were anticipating road blocks, shutdown of LRT and the usual barriers that the authorities would throw us already regular protesters. Surprisingly, other than the usual roundabout manner that the police would direct us walking around Dataran Merdeka, it was really smooth. When the fourth dandy arrived, we gathered together, along with other familiar faces that we knew and walked. We were trailing behind the first group of demonstrators, the police had initially asked them to snuff the candles out and in fact snuffed them out for the demonstrators.

So we moved somewhere else, lit the candles again, and walked from Dataran Merdeka to the Puduraya Bus Station, where the temple was. Along the way, we were surprised at how the traffic flow were halted. I’ve heard of several accounts. Some say it’s the police’s work, and let’s give credit where it’s due. Some say that the organisers from HINDRAF had something to do with it. Either way, while we walked, no demonstrator was harmed or cars obstructed haphazardly. It was very nice and tidy.

Jalan-jalan di malam hari.

As we walked though, what began as roughly 200 or so people walking swelled in numbers. We were joined by other folks who were out with their families, Muslims who finished berbuka and praying Maghrib (though ponteng Terawih), random kids who thought it’d be fun to join in for a good cause as well as curious onlookers and tourists.

R.H.Hickling & Prof Shad would be proud.

The non-Hindus loitered around the parking lot and around the area as part of the demonstrators prayed. We connected with other bloggers, of course, anonymously, and spoke openly about our ideals. Ah, another peaceful demonstrating weekend.

We spotted many PR MPs in the crowd, including this one 😉

Tian Chua with Nat Tan of jelas.info

By the way, didn’t OKT and Semi Value speak against ISA as well? Hmmm, didn’t see them at the vigil…

MANSUHKAN ISA!

One thing I would like to note though, it seems that the Anti-ISA Vigil was turned into a HINDRAF event. I agreed with my fellow dandies, in such events we should focus on the issue and not the organisers. Still, they did a great job!

The police were also either a) cooperative or b) were overwhelmed by the swelling numbers of demonstrators. It was scary watching them carrying around loaded machine guns. I wish there were more younger policemen though. Pak cik-pak cik polis is not that interesting to watch rather than the younger ones.

Happy Birthday RPK, our hearts, prayers, and spirits are with you always, supporting you in Kamunting.

P.s = Eh, Abang-Abang FRU agak cute lah. Nak ngorat boleh?

Race Relations Act, anyone?

I have some misgivings about the so-called Race Relations Act that’s being approved for reading in the Parliament by the Cabinet. Some believe that it could be a better, more humane alternative to the ISA. Some believe that it is necessary to preserve the unity, harmony and relations between the races and to basically protect the society from racial conflicts.

I, however, smell a rat.

I cannot do much analysis when there is pretty much nothing on the slate for the RRA as of yet, but it would be nice to have several things in it;

1. An open forum where all grivances (including issues pertaining to Islamic law) is aired without restraint, but all that is said there ends there.

– Minutes are recorded and kept for future references in regards to any policy and laws made in the Parliament.

– Bigots and liberals alike should send in their well-written proposals and objections beforehand.

2. An interfaith council as was proposed by Prof Shad Faruqi.

– To allow for more effective facilitation of above open forum.

3. Specific details on what is ‘religiously and racially offensive

– To prevent any more seemingly politically manipulated ISA arrests.

By the way, my dear MPs, how on earth does one define ‘race relations’? Does it mean that we eat, sleep, go to the toilet together? Does it mean that we cannot visit each others’ homes when the non-Muslims serve booze and perhaps a stripper or two for bachelorette parties? Does it mean that we have to eat yee sang together every year or suffer the consequences? Does it mean that I cannot date Chinese boys anymore?

Pray tell my dear Ministers and MPs, what is the proper way to ‘relate racially’.

Weird lah, this.

Race Relations Act gets Cabinet nod
By V.P. SUJATA

PUTRAJAYA: The proposed Race Relations Act to strengthen ties among the different races in the country has been approved by the Cabinet, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar.

He said various issues had to be discussed and proposals on race relations needed to be studied before the Act could be drafted and tabled in Parliament.

He added that the Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry and the Home Ministry would gather information and data to draft the Act.

Speaking to reporters after addressing ministry staff at a monthly gathering yesterday, Syed Hamid said both ministries would also have to collect input from non-Governmental organisations and individuals on the contents and scope of the Act.

The Act would include provisions on punitive action while using the Federal Constitution as the guideline, he said.

He added that the Act would also touch on race relations through the economic, education and distribution systems.

“There is a great need to work on the mindset of Malaysians and ways to strengthen the relations among all races in the country,” said Syed Hamid.

“We need to give priority on our diverse cultures and on the sensitivity of each race in order to create an ideal environment to live in,” he said, adding that similar Acts in other countries would be used as reference in drafting it.

He said Britain had the Act for many years while some other European countries were working on similar laws too as they were also becoming more multiracial.

When asked to comment on a suggestion by MCA Youth chief Datuk Liow Tiong Lai that the Act could replace the Internal Security Act (ISA), Syed Hamid said Liow could submit his proposal during discussions on the Act in the Cabinet.

On Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s statement that the ISA was good but its enforcement must be seen to be rational and fair, Syed Hamid said it was wrong to interpret his statement to mean the enforcement was improper.

He said enforcement of any law should be fair and just, adding that no one including the police and ministers enforce the law without being fair.

“The law is meant to do justice to the people,” he said.

RPK may be ISA-ed, but…

From the jentik tak sakit official reaction towards Ahmad’s racist and seditious words, the sudden ‘study trip’ for 50 MPs and the subsequent departure of 4 PKR MPs to join out of curiosity, the banning of websites, the unbanning of websites by MCNC, demands for three newspapers to show cause letter; even a blind man could see that the current government is more than desperate to hold on to power, to the point of behaving erratically like an ill-behaved child.

Much that we all want to demonstrate and show how pissed we are with the government, please, I beg all of you, until the crossovers and the subsequent by-elections happen, stay at home. Stay at home and take care of your family or friends. Stay at home, and should anything untoward, which could be instigated violence by certain members of the rotting society, save any innocent bystanders that happens to be in your way, irrespective of race, religion and creed.

It is the month of Ramadhan, blessed be them who think good thoughts, commit good deeds, and love each other.

*Cherubim prays for the peaceful status quo to remain*