cakap cakap...A week of terror or of hope?

There are many things that we should be concerned about that is now happening in Malaysia. I am not talking about the one sided IPP agreements that favours the cronies of Mahathir at the expense of the Rakyat. We can live with that. I am not talking about the billions lost through the debacle that is PKFZ. Somehow our country will recover back from this abuse of the trust we had misplaced in the leaders of BN. There are also the enormous costs of the infrastructure projects all over the country - costs which, if our leaders were more careful in their management of these projects, could have been minimized and saved billions for our country. Again, over time and with diligence and thrift our country will survive. These are all costs that our people will bear for generations to come but bear them we will because the abuse has been done by the very people we elected to govern us!


What we should be concern about is that there should not be any  more unnecessary loss of lives of our people. People dying while under the custody of PDRM or MACC are unnecessary.No more deaths like those of the villagers in Memali simply because their beliefs are considered deviationist. No more deaths of our young people who are shot by Police in "self defence" after being pursued by the Police. No more death of our Armed Forces personals in accidents that could be prevented. No more death  where these deaths could have been avoided if the BN government could understand that compassion for the weak and for those unfortunate enough to have strayed must first come from them.


It is disturbing to see PDRM who already have too much power say that the Bersih Rally will not take place.Disturbing because we know they have the resources at their disposal to forcibly make that happen! The irresponsibility of the BN government in using utmost force and intimidation to "manage" its own people is standard operating procedure. 


If by the arrest of Bersih Rally activist the government can ensure there is no threat to national security - then by all means go arrest every one of them. For we all do not want riots in the streets of Kuala Lumpur. Or are these arrest to save BN? I can tell BN now that these arrests will not save BN because nothing can save BN now. PDRM have already arrested hundreds of Bersih activists to prevent them from being a threat to national security. A threat that does not exists! And that they so at the bidding of their political master with little more justification then the belief that the survival of their political masters will also guarantee theirs! These Bersih Activist can now expect to be detained or arrested on charges they may never hear and evidence they cannot challenged  in a court they cannot attend! Is that not what the ISA is all about?


These Bersih activists are now enemy combatants detained more or less at random. Sooner if not later the executive powers of the BN government will surely be massively extended to "cover all eventualities" brought about by the insistence of these Bersih Activists to hold an illegal event! Surely these waging of war by BN against Bersih is an over kill? The BN government uses the perceived threat against the Rakyat's security to curtail the Rakyat's human rights. The BN government will claim that the protection of women, ethnic groups, children, disabled people, the old and property is their reason to move against Bersih acivists. That and not the preservation of their tenuous hold over our country will be their rationale for trying to exterminate Bersih with a giant sledgehammer!


BN wants to wage a war without end against the opposition. Of what use is BN protestation that all they do is to ensure that the security of the country is not threaten when those that are threatened are the very people of that same country? The elimination of this threat to national security is of no significance to the people of this country when it is the people of that country themselves that are being eliminated! Lest we forget the declaration of NOC after the Racial Riots of 13 th May in 1969 to temporarily govern the country conveniently laid the foundations for UMNO/BN rule until today. A rule that has now imposed upon us a government that is corrupt, arrogant and abusive to its very own people. 


Our concern should be for the living. If the BN government makes PDRM and MACC understand that death in custody is not acceptable - then it will stop. As simple as that.
For death is final. Those that have lost loved ones because of the actions of PDRM and MACC have lost them forever. The pain stays with them for life. Fathers are lost by children. Husbands by wives and parents lose their children too. That this has happened time and time again surely must indicate a government without compassion?              


And then there are the deaths that are preventable. Multiple deaths in bus accidents. These death might have been preventable if Puspakom have been more vigilant in their enforcement and the Police more determined in their efforts to rid  our roads of those that does not deserve to be given the responsibility of being in charge of these vehicles. Expired driving licenses and those with adverse driving history should be taken of the road as a matter of course. Surely there are ways to police these matters. Here in South Australia the authorities are able to identify any car driven without a valid registration because the technology exists to identify these vehicles if they are driven on the roads.


All these unnecessary death is the responsibility of the BN government. They cannot excuse themselves by putting the onus on PDRM, MACC or Puspakom or even MINDEF      


But we know that these deaths do not give our Prime Minister sleepless nights! He and his wife have more pressing matters to deal with. The engagement of their daughter, the hatching of more sordid plots and sub plots to harass the oppositions, communists that threaten to wage war upon the King and of course there is that matter of who will present Rosmah with the latest Hermes handbag!  


Meanwhile the suppression of internal dissent continues with breathtaking regularity and brutal efficiency. I fail to see how declaring the Bersih Rally illegal will do much for the people of Malaysia. Be as it may the Bersih spirit will persists. It is true that Pakatan Rakyat, DSAI, Kit Siang , TGNK are all riding on the coat tails of Bersih. It is also true that the success of this Bersih rally will threaten the survival of UMNO and BN. And so the stage is set for Bersih to fight by proxy the battles of both these sworn enemies. On or Off Bersih will take its place in our history as possibly being the moment when either BN or Pakatan Rakyat first saw the light of their day at dawn in the East or the setting of their day with the sun in the West. Who will see what will be for us to find out in the coming week! It will be an interesting week for some, a week of terror for others. A week in politics is a long time indeed!