I am in a rush but I cannot let this hour past without posting anything.
Happy Fourth of July.
Categories
Category: Liberty
Just as I was getting ready for bed yesterday, the light was out but I was still accessing the internet, hoping to get my last crack of the day. I was on emails, forums, blogs and readers. And then I saw Nat’s posting as well of several others on a new sodomy charge against Anwar Ibrahim; he has denied it.[1] I am not quite a fan of the former Deputy Prime Minister because of his advocate for populist economic policies but the new charge of sodomy forces me to a corner to sympathize with him.
I do not quite believe in the charge. I could only believe it as much as I believe the imaginative stories of Raja Petra. Of course, I do not really know for sure whether the alleged act happened but the current political climate makes the possibility of trumped up charge appealing. It cannot be a coincidence since the timing is so convenient for Anwar’s political opponents.
Most people will have the same reason to stand by Anwar Ibrahim. And truly, if BN is behind this, with just months after the March 8, when support for the BN administration has been proven to extremely low among Malaysians historically, I do not think they will survive any kind of protest comparable to what happened in the late 1990s. That protest will happen if the charge takes its manipulated course, perceived or real.
But we should leave this to the court. Yet, with tarnished reputation, it is quite hard to either hold the opinion that the judiciary or the police will maintain neutrality in this case.
So, in the end, I am an agnostics holding certain skepticism to the allegation against Anwar Ibrahim.
[1] The police report lodged against me earlier today is a complete fabrication. I believe we are witnessing a repeat of the methods used against me in 1998 when false allegations were made under duress. This is clearly a desperate attempt by the Barisan Nasional regime to arrest the movement of the Malaysian people towards freedom, democracy and justice. [Press statement on police report. Anwar Ibrahim. June 29 2008]
Note — earlier, I wrote that even if the charge is true, it is a matter of liberty. I was referring to sexual lifestyle and absence of force. Clearly I was misunderstood the nature of the allegation. If the charge is true, there would be coercion involved and the perpetrator needed to be prosecuted. My original stance would stand if there was no coercion. In any case, I have deleted the logically flawed statement.
With budget constraints clearly visible, the Kedah state government announces move to harvest timber from several water catchment areas in the state to increase its revenue.[0] I find the action disagreeable and my opposition is two folds.
First revolves around the question of sustainability. While the state government will utilize helicopters to allow selective harvesting,[1] having the activity done within water catchment areas is really hard to support. I am not convinced on logging done within water catchment areas has sustainability in its equation. On top of that, when referring to sustainable forestry, I always have dedicated tree farms in mind. Furthermore, such tree farms are available in Europe and more importantly, as well as in Malaysia. This proves that the availability of a more sustainable harvesting method. So, I am through and through with the Malaysian Nature Society in disagreeing with the state government.
Secondly, it concerns the function of a government. I, as with many libertarians of minarcist tendency, prefer to have a small government focusing on governance, maybe on some developmental projects with positive externality which the private sectors have absolutely no interest in and little else. So, when the state government says it requires greater revenue to finance its operating expenditure, I could only raise a red flag. In my humble opinion, it is the expenditure which requires reduction.
If the state government plans to do some investment, then borrowing may be a better idea instead. If the investment is really good, I am sure the returns from the investment to cover at least the cost of borrowing some years later. If it is not, well, one has to wonder why should the investment be made in the first place.
Also, the current Menteri Besar himself, when he was in the opposition, opposed the helicopter harvesting when it was first proposed by the previous state administration back in 2003.[2] Now, he holds a different position. Thus, forgive me if I am beginning to think he was objecting then for the sake of objecting instead of seeing the issue on its merit. As it turns out, it does not matter if it is PAS or UMNO; all of them are the same!
The two reasons notwithstanding, I also take exception with the federal government for reneging in its promise to pay Kedah RM100 million yearly for encouraging a logging moratorium 5 years ago.[3] Though I personally think such transfer is inferior to a solution which I shall share next week at The Malaysian Insider, a promise is a promise nonetheless. Inability to fulfill a commitment reflects badly on the federal government and it has its repercussion, not just to the Barisan Nasional, but more importantly, to the country. If the Abdullah administration is incapable of staying true to its words, they should simply stop making more promises.
As in right now, the Barisan Nasional has little credibility. The Menteri Besar’s inconsistent position on the matter does little to differentiate him from the Abdullah administration.
[0] ALOR STAR: The Kedah Government has approved logging activities at the Pedu, Muda and Ahning dam catchment areas, a move that is expected to generate about RM16bil in revenue for the state.
Mentri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak said the move was necessary to cover the high expenditure incurred by the state following the petrol price increase. [Kedah approves logging activities. Embun Majid. The Star. June 19 2008]
[1] ALOR STAR: The Kedah Government is going ahead with its plan to allow selective logging in the Ulu Muda catchment areas using the heli-harvesting technique. [Kedah to use heli-harvesting. Sira Habibu. The Star. June 22 2008]
[2] … Azizan, when reminded that he had strongly opposed a logging plan for the forest reserve when the former Barisan Nasional state government had proposed using helicopters to fell timber trees in 1992, said the circumstances were different then.
He said when he was the state opposition leader, he was not well informed on the matter. [Kedah MB stands firm on logging in the Ulu Muda forest reserve. New Straits Time. June 25 2008]
[3] ALOR STAR, June 18 (Bernama) — Kedah plans to open up the Hulu Muda Forest Reserve to logging activities to increase its revenue as the federal government has not paid the compensation for banning logging in the area five years ago.
Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak said the federal government had not paid the RM100 million compensation to Kedah for banning logging in the area under the National Forestry Policy. [Kedah To Log Forest Reserve To Increase Revenue. Bernama. June 18 2008]
Just as you think the issue of Tibet went into slumber as a sign of respect for the victims of the Sichuan earthquake, the China strives to dismantle any kind of sympathy it may have garnered. Just today, a mosque was demolished by the Chinese government, allegedly because the local Muslim community refuses to do what the government had ordered: show sign of support for the Olympics.
In a Reuters article (via):
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese authorities in the restive far western region of Xinjiang have demolished a mosque for refusing to put up signs in support of this August’s Beijing Olympics, an exiled group said on Monday. [Group says China demolishes mosque for not supporting Olympics. Reuters. June 23 2008]
The official reason, it seems is this:
Dilxat Raxit added that the mosque, which had been renovated in 1998, was accused of illegally renovating the structure, carrying out illegal religious activities and illegally storing copies of the Muslim holy book the Koran. [Group says China demolishes mosque for not supporting Olympics. Reuters. June 23 2008]
I may be able to reluctantly accept illegal renovation as a reason for demolition but “illegally storing copies” of the Koran?
Remember, this is the same government which thinks that it has “an exclusive rights to the selection of all future reincarnations of Tibetan lamas and have ordained that the Dalai Lama must be a citizen of China.”
Dear Mr. Prime Minister Sir,
How are you these days?
I heard it has been cloudy over there in Putrajaya for the past several months. I reckon starting the day so gloomily almost every day does little to inspire the heart. I do not envy you but I wish you well regardless!
Fortunately for many others, it has not been all doom and gloom everywhere. The sun has been shining brilliantly for the past few months now here. With blue sky as a background, white cotton-like cloud slowly crawls across the space above. In other words, life is not too bad at all. You should get out of Putrajaya more often and enjoy the sun!
Initially, I had thought a storm was brewing. All those threats issued by various groups made me all jittery and I am only glad that those threats did not materialize. I am sure many others felt the same way. Those dark clouds inevitably broke up and gave way to the sun. Hey, we all could use some time under the sun!
Anyway, enough about the weather.
How long has it been since March 8?
About a hundred days? I cannot believe that it has been so long since March 8. How time flies, do you not think so?
Just after March 8, I have heard a number of individuals doubting the stability of Pakatan state governments in the west coast of the Peninsula. They alleged that DAP and PAS could not possibly work together. On the contrary, those state governments are still standing and they appear to have warmed their seats rather comfortably.
Well, good for them.
In fact, instead of worrying about the stability of these state governments, I am now concerned with the stability of the federal government!
I am worried for you because I like how the whole equation works out at the moment. The latest general election put a pause on those Sovietique developmental corridors which involved too much central planning for my taste. At the same time, some of the more outrageous wealth redistribution policies proposed by the Pakatan front could not be implemented because you have successfully manned your fort in Putrajaya.
The result?
A small government!
I wanted a small government and I got it. And you, sir, made all that possible! You sir, are one of the greatest things a lot of libertarians could ask for.
And you know what? I love you for that!
I know, I know. I am probably one of those weird individuals whom not too many find it easy, if at all possible, to accommodate. This law is tyranny; that speech is too populist; those rulings irrelevant; these papers rubbish; etc. It is as if nothing could please people like me, libertarians!
There are people out there that think libertarians are rebels without a cause. But they are wrong dear sir, they are utterly wrong. All we wanted is a small government.
We just want to manage our own money. We do not want to have our money redistributed by other people. We do not appreciate being forced to fund the EPF so that it could buy some local banks. Oh, we hate bailouts. We do not like paying excessive tax and we do not plan to fund any subsidy. We would like the government to concentrate on what it is supposed to do and that is governance, not doing businesses or redistributing wealth. We do not like to be told what to do. We want to speak freely. We want to shout nonsense in the middle of the Dataran Merdeka. We want the state to get out of our bedrooms. Take those CCTVs in public spaces down. Our religious beliefs are our own, not yours. We want local government. We want a liberal democracy!
We want freedom.
All in all, we, libertarians, the individualists, distrust the state. So distrustful we are that we would want to have a strong check and balance mechanism in the government. And the current political scenario allows just that!
You sir, have made the impossible possible! You have achieved what many have failed. Without you, we would not have got what we aimed for. Because of you, we libertarians, previously always grumbling, have now begun smiling. For that, you thoroughly deserve a raving applause. For he’s a jolly good fellow, for he’s a jolly good fellow, for he’s a jolly good fellow, that nobody can deny!
These days, too many people say too many bad things about you. Understandably, you may feel lonely sometimes but fret not however. Whenever you are feeling the blues, be rest assured that there are those whom appreciate you!
So, take heart dear sir. After a rainy day in the evening, just go outside of your office and look for a rainbow out there. If you are lucky, you may find a Leprechaun with a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Kind regards,
Your friendly libertarian
P.S. Do you have any plan to abolish the Inland Revenue Board? Filling up those forms is such a drag. Worse, those IRB songs are so bad that it made Britney Spears a superstar!
p/s — a version of this article was first published by The Malaysian Insider.