What's the reason behind Nazri's smile???

Ten Canine Commandments for all.

This is really good. I almost cried before finish reading it. :') Nice one, indeed.

Bersih 2.0 - Understanding CLEAN (Bersih)

I also got this from email circulation - too bad I don't have the author's name. But what he/she wrote speaks for majority Malaysians on Bersih 2.0.
Let us continue to uphold this nation continually in our prayers, that all these wickedness and evil will be purged.

1. Datuk Ambiga did not conceive this movement. It was born out of a civil society movement to which I am proud and happy to be part of since 2007. Ambiga was invited to be Chairman for Bersih 2.0 (2007 being Bersih 1.0), to keep the movement going and the first thing she did was to seek resignation of all members of the Committee who are also leaders of political parties. She correctly wanted the movement to be bi-partisan. Invitations were given to BN political parties to endorse the movement. But it seems only the Opposition parties agree with the 8 demands of Bersih - which safeguards our constitutional rights in ensuring that we have a healthy democracy.

2. It is a rakyat driven movement - the ideals of democracy - by the people, for the people, of the people. It is not led by Anwar Ibrahim, PKR or any foreign bodies. It is led by Ambiga and her 13 fearless committee members - but in reality - the movement is by the people and for the people and about the people. You should check the number of the endorsees/NGOs and volunteers for Bersih 2.0. They are upstanding people - retired patriots who servedthe nation before Merdeka to young voters/volunters - university students who have their places in uni at risk.

3. Bersih 2.0 is not just a street protest. The street protest is only one of the its many activities. What should be the focus is the 8 point demands. No sane rational person will find fault with the 8 points. The other activities held were to gain support from many groups and to impress on the Election Commission on the import of the 8 points for the past 2 years. It is for everyone to see how the EC was not receptive to the 8 points. In fact, EC has closed its eyes on the rampant abuse of the electoral process in all the byelections since 2008. Look at the 8 points:

1.that the EC clean up the electoral roll,

2.reform postal voting,

3.use indelible ink,

4.introduce a minimum 21-day campaign period,

5.allow all parties free and fair access to the media,

6.strengthen public institutions,

7.stop corruption,

8.put an end to dirty politics.

They have advocacy as well as educational programs to educate the public on their constitutional rights. Why? Because the government we have today needs the education too. Look at the PM, the Cabinet, the AG, the Police, the Universities, the Judiciary and the mainstream Media (Judiciary and Media lumped with government, though in a ideal world these 2 institution shd be independent).

4. BN did not lose badly in the last elections. It still managed to gain majority but at a laugh since the electrorate roll and the boundaries for constituencies were very questionable. Tens of thousands of new registered voters were not allowed to vote even though it is well within their constitutional right as registered voters.

5. The by-elections for the past 2 years have been heavily tainted with money politics - using tax payers money. I am more appalled at the head of BN,the current PM making a direct offer - "you help me and I will help you..." . Amazing how shameless! BN's generosity during the past elections (hahaha with my tax payers money) is disgusting. And the very same leader of BN saying he will protect Putrajaya at all cost. Putrajaya does not belong to him. It does not belong to BN. It belongs to the rakyat.

( see the PM - 10 seconds into the video uploaded at http://www.youtube.com/watch?EUKMi6U4xY&feature=related )

6. What makes me want to be out there on 9 July 2011 - is the not just the 8 points, not just because I believe it is timely for Malaysians to come united to protect their basic democratic right, the very foundation of our nation, our democracy - it is now fuelled by the anger and disgust I have - that the government that is for the people is attacking the people - telling us that it is not legal to exercise my constitutional right to peaceably assemble, arresting people for exercising their constitutional rights in freedom of association and expression. Wearing Bersih Tshirts is a threat to national security? Attending a community gotong royong wearing tshirts saying "Negara Bersih, Rakyat Bertuah" is a threat to national security? Waging war against the King? Seriously?!!!

7. Tell me what force is at play - foreign or local - aside from the discontent of a people who is ashamed of the government we have today. Ambiga met many foreign bodies - you will know Bersih 2.0 have moved beyond Malaysian shores. There are chapters in Japan, Korea, Australia, England and the US led by Malaysians and friends of Malaysia. So what if there are foreign bodies involved, if at all? The question to ask- what does Bersih stand for that it has sparked a solidarity across the globe?

8. Tell me what threatens our national security? Tell me why my government is robbing me of my constitutional rights? Tell me why the PM had also threaten to bring out 3 million UMNO memebers to rally agaisnt Bersih when his home minister is quick to ban Bersih 2? Ambiga has asked for a safe route for people to peaceably assemble. How difficult is that? Every few months our government closes public roads for hours - to hold marathons, cycling events, national day parades. Bersih 1.0 whith 50,000 people in 2007 (official mainstream firgures) (unofficial 80,000 to 100,000) went about rather peacabley until the police moved in with their water cannons and batons and tear gas.

Why don't the government take action against or the police arrest the likes of Perkasa's Ibrahim Ali and the editors of Utusan Malysia who spew racial slurs? The PM threatens to bring 3 million street protestors? Ambiga is defamed as being anti-Malay, anti-Islam,anti-Malaysia - choses not to defend herself and rightly so - it's plain to see. She's a hero in our midst. We dont need the USA to honour her as an international woman of courage. She is a National Hero. (And yes, she is a personal friend, one will not defend her own honour because she is honourable).

9. Tell me how you can disagree that something is seriously wrong with the government we have today. Tell me how you can disagree with the 8 points that makes Bershih 2.0. Tell me what avenues the people have to safeguard their constitutional rights when the very governement in place is the robber?

10. Since we are friends, I suggest perhaps you spend more time in Malaysia and see how we can have a government who told us the nation will go bankrupt is we do not cut subsidies, yet have money 63 million to refurbish (not even build a new palace) the PM's home, 35million for a pavillion at the World Expo, 1.8million for facebook, 100 million for a new tower, not to mention the costs overrun for all national projects? A government that can afford to give Lynas, a foreign company, 12 years tax free benefit when it brings radioactive materials into our country and leaves radioactive waste behind but projects an earning of hundreds of millions for the next few years- for rare-earth processing which no developed nation no matter how rich in rare-earth materials supply or how high the demand would not even consider building such plants? (China has its planst in outer mongolia, we have ours 25kms from Kuantan, 250 km from KL).

The list of my disgruntled discontent is long. I want a change not just for me but for the next generation - and change is possible through the electoral process. I just want a fair and free electoral process, my very basic right as a Malaysian.

My Bersih 2.0 Experience - Marina Mahathir

I got this from email circulation - too good not to share.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

My Bersih 2.0 Experience - Marina Mahathir

So I went.

I have to say that the night before I had many many misgivings, especially after reading about the army doing exercises with the FRU. Could the government seriously be contemplating shooting their own people? Who knows? My stomach was in knots thinking about the many young people I knew who were intent on going, including my daughter. Would I be able to forgive myself if something happened to them?

After seeking advice from various friends, I finally decided that I could not stay safely at home while my daughter, friends and colleagues faced possible danger. I had to walk with them. Besides even if I stayed home, I would have spent all my time worrying. So I had to go.

A friend who lived in the city offered to be my protector and together we devised a plan on what to do. Hubby was supportive and gave some advice on how to stay safe. My neighbours also wanted to come along. So fairly earlyish, my friend drove over to get me with no problem and we headed back into the city. Despite the roadblocks in some areas, we encountered no problems. In fact driving into KL was so pleasant because the roads were so clear. The police directed traffic where they had to and were generally cooperative ( except for one we saw arguing with a man trying to get into his own condo). We got to a roadblock in the KLCC area and my friend explained that he lived in the area and they let us through, four people in a car dressed as if we were going hiking!

From my friend’s apartment block, we walked to Times Square and parked ourselves at the Starbucks for a coffee while we waited. A cursory look around the outlet and mall revealed that many people were doing the same thing. Meanwhile a whole van of police was stationed outside the mall but after a while they all went off.

We kept in touch with various friends around the city to find out where they were and what the situation was. At about 12.30 we started to walk up Jalan Hang Tuah towards the stadium area. We were not in big groups, just people out on a weekend stroll. We thought we would encounter police in front of the big police headquarters in front of Pudu Jail but there was nothing. When we got to the corner of Jalan Hang Jebat, we saw some police motorcycles and only a couple of cops. Lots of people were just sitting on the curbside under the eye of the cops. It was pretty clear what all these people were there for.

We walked along Jalan Hang Jebat in front of Stadium Negara towards the OCM and found many other friends waiting there. Apparently at one point the cops had given chase even though there was no reason to and caught some people and hauled them off. But from then on we could sit and wait by the curb without anyone disturbing us.

Jalan Hang Jebat and the small road that led up to Stadium Merdeka stayed pretty quiet. Members of the Bar Council (who had to suffer wearing their suits in the heat just so that we could spot them easily) walked around observing what was happening. At one point one woman in a suit sat herself at the intersection to take notes.

One lone woman lawyer at her station, Jln Hang Jebat

We all debated whether to stay there or move down to Petaling Street but we were afraid that we wouldn’t be let back up again. Then it started to rain. My friend and I sought shelter under some hoarding along with young people. Just then I got a message that we were to go to KL Sentral. After confirming this with a friend at Sentral, my friends and I started to walk down Hang Jebat just as a large group of people started walking up. The rain was pouring at that point and I didn’t know quite what to do, whether to tell people they should turn round or not.

Seeking shelter for a while under a shop five-foot way, I talked to various other friends and eventually decided to head back to the stadium area where I found my daughter and lots of other friends there. The main group earlier had gone up to Stadium Merdeka, did some chanting in front of the FRU and then headed down again. But many people hung about just to observe everything and soak in the atmosphere. One group of young people had yellow ribbons on sticks and started a little dance. Others were buying ice cream from a bicycle vendor who came by. There was a real carnival atmosphere.

Here's a video of the rally yesterday taken by my daughter. As you can see, it was peaceful. And every time some people started chanting 'reformasi', someone else would start a louder chant of 'Bersih'.

I have to say that I never felt safer than when I was in the crowd. People recognized me and said hello. Some wanted to take photos. It didn’t feel any different from any other Saturday out. And to be perfectly fair, the cops and FRU in my area showed admirable restraint. They saw that people were not doing anything more than chanting and nobody was harming anyone so they just stood there and left everyone to do their thing. We came across a whole FRU unit blocking a lane next to the Chinese temple at the roundabout at the bottom of Jalan Maharajalela, waved at them and they waved. Cool cops!

Of course not everyone had the same experience. Here’s an account from a colleague who was in a different street:

Unfortunately my experience wasn't so benign. I was part of the marchers (along with A and others) who were effectively kettled by the police in Jalan Pudu. FRU units to the front and back of us prevented us from leaving, and we were trapped by the walls of a construction site opposite Tung Shin Hospital after the FRUs pushed us back. It was probably the worst of the hotspots because of that: when the police started firing round after round of tear gas at us, we had nowhere to run to. I think they were determined to make an example out of us, because they bloody well tear-gassed and sprayed us with water cannons when they had no reason to do so.

We were all tear-gassed at least three, four times. An NGO staffer was hit by a canister. V told me that she saw people jumping off the second floor of the Puduraya bus terminal because the police had released tear gas too close to the terminal and the wind carried the fumes into the enclosed building. When the marchers ran for shelter in Tung Shin Hospital, the police fired tear gas and water cannons INTO the hospital grounds. Later the police lured us into re-assembling on the road on the pretext of negotiating a peaceful dispersal. They arrested the MP (Sivarasa) who was doing the negotiating, then -- after ordering us to sit down so (as we realised later) we would be sitting ducks -- they fired more tear gas and water cannons at us. A, myself and our companions eventually managed to find a way out from the trap via the Santo Antonius church and (irony of ironies) the car park of the Hang Tuah police station (near the monorail station). There were so many very brave people yesterday.

I now know that smearing toothpaste under the eyes to reduce irritation caused by tear gas actually works (thanks, A)! I'm still itchy and short of breath from all that tear gas, which is a bit annoying. But really, mostly what I remember of the rally was how moving it was: the solidarity among the protesters, how people looked out for one another. Whenever I was tear-gassed there was a stranger running along at my side and offering me and my friends salt to counteract the effects. When the police sprayed chemical-laced water cannons into the crowd and the people affected cried out for water to wash the stuff away, others turned and ran back toward the cannons with bottles of water to help. People helped others climb up a hill towards the hospital to escape (some guy helped me up the steep slope). Someone always stepped up to make sure that a panicked run doesn't turn into a stampede, including an elderly woman who took it upon herself to guide the marchers to safety. She's a first-time marcher to boot! Actually there were lots of first-time marchers, and more young middle-class urbanites than I've ever seen at any other rallies including the 2007 Bersih rally. At one point people started picking up the tear gas canisters and throwing them back at the police, or kicking the canisters safely away from the marchers and bystanders. I heard via the #bersihstories Twitter hashtag when the police fired tear gas into Tung Shin, there were people who grabbed the canisters and wrapped them in their own towels, then threw the canisters into the drain so there wouldn't be so much fumes.

And another one, about people’s goodness:

My group has a lovely little story to tell as well, of how we escaped from the Tung Shin hospital area after one of the tear gas attacks. We took a little alley uphill between the shophouses, and there was a block of flats there. One of the residents told us to go through the building to get out through the back! We climbed upstairs and then along the opposite corridor a woman shouted and pointed, "That way, go that way, there is an exit out the back!" and we scuttled along our corridor, down the back stairs and found ourselves safe outside on Changkat Tung Shin or something like that.

Rakyat all contributing in their own ways!

There are many stories and photos, both good and bad, of the whole event. But to me what was most important was that Malaysians proved two things: one, they can assemble together on a common cause peacefully and two, therefore showed that they are a mature people. The fact is that there were all kinds of people there, young and old, all races and religions and all classes and creeds. I bumped into many young people, the children of my friends, who had come to see what it was all about and decide for themselves what to think about the issue.

Do these people look like hooligans to you?

Whatever one thinks about the issue that Bersih is espousing, we should all be proud of our fellow Malaysians who did not, despite dire predictions by some, behave like hooligans and destroy property and hurt one another. There were people hurt and one death but people who had participated in the rally did not cause them. The restaurants and shops around the area were doing roaring business as people got thirsty and hungry.

There are also some people claiming that the world now has a bad impression of Malaysia because the foreign media (and the local media for that matter) reported only about the teargassing and water-cannoning. I think people are confusing the government with the people. Yes, the world now has a bad impression of the Malaysian government because it has handled this whole issue so badly. They don’t have the same impression of the Malaysians who stood up for their rights and their cause.

This is what gives a good impression: protestors and police shaking hands before dispersing at 4pm.

And by the way, I can’t believe some of the mean things being said about the man who died after being teargassed! My goodness, every time I read totally uncompassionate things like that, I know that I’m on the right side.

Bersih 2.0. Who is Ambiga Sreenevasan?

Ambiga Sreenevasan : the humble recipient of Secretary of State's Award for International Women of Courage

(Malaysian Bar Council)

This is the lady who will lead the BERSIH 2.0 march on 9 July 2011.

Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama

12 Mar 2009, 0853 hrs IST

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and first lady Michelle Obama present give away Secretary of State's Award for International Women of Courage to Malaysia 's Ambiga Sreenevasan (Malaysian Bar Council) at the State Department in Washington , DC (AFP)

The shame of it all that we should be so proud (and are) of our own Malaysian receiving an international award like this, but the Malaysian government and press don't see it as important enough to publish it in our local dailies! It was only published by THE SUN but rather small and hidden in the inner pages. WHY???!!!!...

Never mind if they don't publish in the papers......lets circulate ........

This Picture Made It To the Pages of India Times but not in our own papers!

Hillary Clinton:

Our final speaker, Ambiga Sreenevasan, has a remarkable record of accomplishment in Malaysia. She has pursued judicial reform and good governance, she has stood up for religious tolerance, and she has been a resolute advocate of women’s equality and their full political participation.

She is someone who is not only working in her own country, but whose influence is felt beyond the borders of Malaysia. And it is a great honor to recognize her and invite her to the podium. (Applause.)

MS. SREENEVASAN:

The First Lady Mrs. Obama, Madame Secretary Hillary Clinton, ladies and gentlemen, I am humbled to be in the company of seven extraordinary women receiving this award for courage, and I am deeply honored to now speak on their behalf and on mine.

We accept this award in all humility, remembering that we have been fortunate in being singled out from among countless courageous women in our countries who are dedicated to the cause of equality and justice.

It is also timely for us to remember all the women in other conflict-ridden territories, like Palestine and other countries, who have to show courage every single day in their struggle to survive and to keep their families together.

Each of us fights causes that promote equality and justice, and by presenting us with this award you honor those causes and all the people who work tirelessly for them with unflinching dedication.

This award will help to bring to the international stage our voices and our advocacy on these important issues. This occasion gives us an opportunity to reflect on the importance of the rule of law in promoting the rights of women around the world. When the rule of law is upheld, equality is upheld, the cause of justice is upheld, and human rights are upheld.

Today, we are witnessing a struggle for the souls of our nations, taking place between the forces of the old and the forces of change. We see our commitment to the rule of law, fundamental liberties, and the independence of our institutions being tested. The strength of our nations will depend on how well they withstand this test.

There are those who claim that democracy is a Western concept and is unsuitable elsewhere. There are yet others who perpetrate injustices behind a veneer of democracy. We say that democracy is universal, and a true democracy and the rule of law will prevail when the collective voices of the people are raised in its support.

On my part, I have for the past two years had the privilege to lead and serve the Malaysian Bar, a professional organization consisting of approximately 13,000 lawyers. History will bear testament to the fact that the Malaysian Bar has always been true to its first article of faith, to uphold the cause of justice without regard to its own interests or that of its members uninfluenced by fear or favor.

In a sense, I was merely stepping into the shoes of the many other brave leaders of the bar who came before me, whereas many of the awardees today are pioneers in their struggle for justice.

This award has given us the opportunity which we would not otherwise have had, to share our stories, our successes, our failures, to reach out across our borders and to establish a base upon which we can build a meaningful network of support. These stories must be told in all our countries.

By this experience, we are both enriched and enraged; enriched by what we have shared, and enraged that so many of our sisters endure intimidation and suffering in their countries. Nevertheless, ours is a message of hope that something has been achieved, despite the odds. Martin Luther King said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This means that although we may come from different walks of life, our struggle is common.

And each success is a success for all, just as each failure is a failure for all. When we unite on a human rights platform, whether domestically or internationally, above politics and political alliances, we create more enduring partnerships and relationships. When we pursue freedom and empowerment for others, we reaffirm and protect our own.

In my interaction with the other awardees present here today, it was evident that the passion we feel for our causes is driven by the love of our homelands and our people. That, in turn, drives our passion for what is right and what is just.

Our people deserve nothing less. We all believe in striving for ideals that are– if I may borrow the words – self-evident; namely, the ideals of truth, justice, goodness, and universal love and understanding. Our stories are a testament to the universality of these ideals.

We are truly and deeply honored by this award, more so, when it comes from you, Madame Secretary, yourself a woman of courage, who has inspired women around the world to reach great heights. Your untiring efforts in championing women’s rights worldwide are well known.

Your immortal words that, “Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights,” resonate with all of us here.

We would also like to express our deep admiration for the First Lady Mrs. Obama, and we would also like to express our appreciation for your sharing this moment with us. Madame Secretary, on behalf of all the awardees, I thank you. And we accept the honor with humility and pride. Thank you. (Applause.)

Read more: http://www.america.gov/st/texttrans-english/2009/March/20090312132025xjsnommis0.1997949.html&distid=ucs#ixzz1QSYUk0gf