Category: Conflict & disaster

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Conflict & disaster Politics & government

[2033] Of a few days after the first 100 days

Shocked.

That was exactly how I felt when I found out that a political secretary of a Selangor assemblyman was found dead near the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission headquarters. The MACC put the aide, Teoh Beng Hock, through questioning regarding activities of DAP assemblypersons just hours earlier before the time of death.[1] Granted, the cause of death — did the aide commit suicide? Did somebody push him from the top of the building? Was it defenestation? — is still a mystery but it surely, rightly or wrongly, incriminates the MACC.

To many, especially for Pakatan Rakyat sympathizers I suspect, judgment may have already been passed: the MACC is somehow guilty of causing the death. While it definitely an unfair position to assume, it is not hard to reach to that conclusion given that individuals have died in the custody of the authority, namely the police.

The MACC is already seen as biased arm of the government, embarking on selective investigation by targeting Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen but continue to leave Barisan Nasional politicians with suspicious record like Khir Toyo free from investigation. The death of the aide can only further damage whatever public confidence — if it has any left — that MACC has right now.

As for the Najib administration, looks like its 100-day celebration has just been cut short. On his 100th day as the Prime Minister, he announced six key result areas and one of them is the prevention of crime. [2] A government body now is being perceived as a perpetrator of crime. It is not just any crime but murder, perhaps the gravest of all crimes.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

[1] — SHAH ALAM, July 16 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) controversial probe into several DAP assemblymen’s activities was thrown into more turmoil today with the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock at the anti-graft authority’s Selangor headquarters.

The 30-year-old’s death will put more pressure on the MACC, which has been accused by the opposition of conducting selective investigations.

[…]

At a press conference, the MACC director of investigations Datuk Mohd Shukri Abdul said Teoh was questioned from 5pm yesterday to 3.45am and was released soon after.bod

However, Teoh apparently said he was tired and so he rested on a settee in the lobby. He was seen sleeping on the settee at 6am.

At about 1.30pm, Shukri said, they heard that a body had been found on the 5th floor of the adjacent building and when one of the MACC officers went to investigate, he realised it was one of their witnesses.

Shukri said Teoh was not a suspect but was questioned as part of their investigations into the misuse of state allocations. [Ean Yong’s political secretary dead at MACC HQ. Neville Spykerman. The Malaysian Insider. July 16 2009]

[2] — KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 (Bernama) — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak on Saturday announced six national key result areas for more effective attainment of the targets of the key performance indicators (KPI).

He said these were crime prevention, fighting of corruption, widening access to quality and affordable education, raising the living standard of the low-income people, upgrading infrastructure in the rural and interior regions, and improving public transportation in a moderate period of time. [Najib Identifies Key Areas For KPI Targets.Bernama. July 11 2009]

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Conflict & disaster Liberty

[2032] Of guarded salutation to Turkey

In times when China is growing ever influential with other governments become increasingly reluctant to criticize the Dragon, it is good to know that someone has the courage to stand up and go against the wave. In response to the situation in Xinjiang where a racial riot between Uighur minority and Han majority that caused death on both sides happened, Turkey accused China of committing genocide against the minority.[1]

Turkey’s accusation of genocide is a tad too dramatic however. Furthermore, given Turkey’s history, Turkey might not have the moral authority to make that accusation, regardless the truth of the allegation.

That however does not negate the fact that Turkey’s criticism of China is appropriate at this juncture. What happened and is happening in Xinjiang cannot be left ignored by the world. Turkey went to keep the issue from dying, as China would want it.

If Turkey had remained silenced, China would remain relatively free from criticism from various governments. That would continue to create a suffocating momentum that gradually but ominously creates an environment where China is free from criticism. Continous unadmonished behavior of China may give it the idea that as long as it is an internal matter, it could do whatever it like. That is clearly false.

A break of that trend is important to demonstrate how that is false. Turkey broke it and that is why I salute Turkey.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

[1] — The comment by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that Chinese policy in Xinjiang was ”like a genocide” and that China should ”abandon its policy of assimilation,” will ring in Beijing ears for a long time. However excessive his choice of words, Mr. Erdogan was in effect speaking for all Turkic people from the Mediterranean to central China. [The Echoes of Xinjiang. Philip Bowring. New York Times. July 14 2009]

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Conflict & disaster Liberty

[2015] Of is the Iranian army the best hope to stop the bloodshed?

It is hard to describe how I feel about the situation in Iran as protesters clash with the basij — a paramilitary group loyal to the incumbent government — and the Revolutionary Guard.[0][1][2] It is not a matter of ambivalence about the brutality of those security force though I am still quiet unsure whether fraud did occur. The issue has gone well beyond the question of fraud to the question of freedom. And when individuals actually die for freedom, my opinion solidified against the government led by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

What I find it hard to describe is the kind of anger I am in, especially after watching a video of a young woman died after being shot.[3] Something simply has to be done.

Amid the chaos, it is important to take note that the ones suppressing the protesters are the basij and the Revolutionary Guard. In contrast, there are limited reports on the roles of police and the army in suppressing protesters. Some reports further suggest that the police and the army are reluctant in moving against the protesters. As Blake Hounsell writes at Foreign Policy Passport, if “we start seeing cracks in those forces, or the regular army, then the regime will really be in trouble. But it will take sustained pressure — more demonstrations, strikes, and smart politics — to get there.”[4] This of course not to suggest that the army is of one mind just as the Revolutionary Guard is not.[5]

Is intervention by the army — presumably based out of conscience as probably evident through the kind of reluctance reported — the only way out of the quagmire Iran is in at the moment?

It is unclear if the protestors could bring down the incumbent government but with the army in, it will surely makes the possibility of a new government brighter. The problem is, of course, if having a military government desirable?

At the moment, it is hard to say no, especially if the army acts on conscience. What guarantees that that military government will not turn on the very same Iranians who are exercising their rights to assembly and freedom of expression now is another question. The burning question is, will a military government be better than the current one, no matter how far short it is from the ideal of a liberal democratic state?

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

[0] — Thirty years ago, during the demonstrations that led to the Shah’s downfall, one of the dominant images was scenes of uniformed soldiers firing live ammunition at protesters. This week, Iran’s clerics seem determined, at least, not to repeat that historic mistake. They remember that the daily news coverage of the Shah’s soldiers shooting and killing unarmed protesters precipitated the collapse of the regime.

Instead, bearded plainclothes militiamen have been attacking and harassing the demonstrators in Tehran this past week. These are Basijis, members of a civilian paramilitary organization founded by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979. It was conceived of as a civilian auxiliary force subordinate to the Revolutionary Guards, and so it has functioned over the past three decades. During the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, fervent Basijis volunteered to serve on the front lines. For a time, very young Basijis were encouraged to offer themselves for martyrdom by clearing minefields with their bodies in what became known as ”human waves”—literally walking to their deaths en masse so that more experienced soldiers could advance against the enemy. An Iranian friend of mine who is a war veteran described the Basiji boy martyrs as having played a tragic but significant role in the war, by providing Iran with a ”flesh wall” against Saddam Hussein’s vastly superior Western-supplied military technology. [Understanding the Basij. John Lee Anderson. The New Yorker. June 19 2009]

[1] — REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS: An elite military corps of more than 200,000 members that is independent of the regular armed forces and controlled directly by the supreme leader. The Guards oversee vital interests such as oil and natural gas installations and the nation’s missile arsenal.

BASIJ: A powerful volunteer militia directed by the Revolutionary Guards. Basiji played a high-profile role as “morality” police after the Islamic Revolution and now are often used in crackdowns of dissidents. Some estimates place the membership at 10 million, or about 15 percent of the population. [Key players in Iran’s disputed election. Associated Press via Google News. June 18 2009]

[2] — CAIRO (AP) — They’re the most feared men on the streets of Iran.
The pro-government Basij militia has held back its full fury during this week’s street demonstrations. But witnesses say the force has unleashed its violence in shadowy nighttime raids, attacking suspected opposition sympathizers with axes, daggers, sticks and other crude weapons.

At least once, the militiamen opened fire on a crowd of strone-throwing protesters. State media said seven were killed. [Feared Basij militia could transform Iran showdown. Associated Press via Google News. June 20 2009]

[3] — See Iranian woman killed in protests [Two Videos] at Youtube. Accessed June 21 2009.

[4] — It’s hard to tell who has the upper hand, but it seems like there are still plenty of people willing to beat, maim, even kill their fellow Iranians. That’s bad news for the good guys. Roger Cohen, the New York Times columnist who’s in Tehran, tells of a police commander who pleaded with demonstrators to go home because, “I have children, I have a wife, I don’t want to beat people.” From what I can glean from Twitter and various reporting, the regular police aren’t quite as eager to beat heads, in contrast with the hard-line Revolutionary Guard and basij militiamen. If we start seeing cracks in those forces, or the regular army, then the regime will really be in trouble. But it will take sustained pressure — more demonstrations, strikes, and smart politics — to get there. [War on the streets of Tehran. Foreign Policy Passport. June 20 2009]

[5] — According to Cyrus News Agency (CNA) in Iran, at least 16 members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly attempting to join the “people’s movement.” Protests, riots and violence broke out in several cities in Iran on Saturday night following an election which many in Iran and the world say was fraudulent. [Report: Members of Iranian Revolutionary Guard arrested for joining ‘people’s movement’. Wikinews. June 20 2009]

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Conflict & disaster Liberty Politics & government Society

[2001] Of Obama in Cairo:best parts

I am watching President Obama’s speech in Cairo live right now, with his prepared text on screen. This is the best part so far for me:

For decades, there has been a stalemate: two peoples with legitimate aspirations, each with a painful history that makes compromise elusive. It is easy to point fingers — for Palestinians to point to the displacement brought by Israel’s founding, and for Israelis to point to the constant hostility and attacks throughout its history from within its borders as well as beyond. But if we see this conflict only from one side or the other, then we will be blind to the truth: the only resolution is for the aspirations of both sides to be met through two states, where Israelis and Palestinians each live in peace and security. [Obama’s Speech in Cairo. Barack Obama. Washington Wire. June 4 2009]

Great to be able to watch the speech online, live:

Public domain

Another great part:

There is no straight line to realize this promise. But this much is clear: governments that protect these rights are ultimately more stable, successful and secure. Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. America respects the right of all peaceful and law-abiding voices to be heard around the world, even if we disagree with them. And we will welcome all elected, peaceful governments — provided they govern with respect for all their people.

This last point is important because there are some who advocate for democracy only when they are out of power; once in power, they are ruthless in suppressing the rights of others. No matter where it takes hold, government of the people and by the people sets a single standard for all who hold power: you must maintain your power through consent, not coercion; you must respect the rights of minorities, and participate with a spirit of tolerance and compromise; you must place the interests of your people and the legitimate workings of the political process above your party. Without these ingredients, elections alone do not make true democracy.

Next:

I know there are many — Muslim and non-Muslim — who question whether we can forge this new beginning. Some are eager to stoke the flames of division, and to stand in the way of progress. Some suggest that it isn’t worth the effort — that we are fated to disagree, and civilizations are doomed to clash. Many more are simply skeptical that real change can occur. There is so much fear, so much mistrust. But if we choose to be bound by the past, we will never move forward. And I want to particularly say this to young people of every faith, in every country — you, more than anyone, have the ability to remake this world.

Near the end:

It is easier to start wars than to end them. It is easier to blame others than to look inward; to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share. But we should choose the right path, not just the easy path. There is also one rule that lies at the heart of every religion — that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. This truth transcends nations and peoples — a belief that isn’t new; that isn’t black or white or brown; that isn’t Christian, or Muslim or Jew. It’s a belief that pulsed in the cradle of civilization, and that still beats in the heart of billions. It’s a faith in other people, and it’s what brought me here today

Categories
Conflict & disaster Liberty Politics & government Society

[1986] Of democracies exist because…

For those who fear confrontation with respect to Perak may lead us to the path of Thailand:

Democracies exist only because enough people were unwilling to be sheep, and brave enough to fight violent wars to achieve a share in power. [Page 227. Good and Bad Power: The Ideals and Betrayals of Government. Geoff Mulgan.]

I consider it as a game of war of attrition.