Sex In The City - Martin Jalleh

Year of publicity stunts, slogans and spin — Martin Jalleh

MARCH 27 — Genuine people-centred reforms and greater respect for human rights and civil liberties in Malaysia remain an illusion. Instead what we see are publicity stunts, slogans and spin, says Martin Jalleh as he takes us on a tour of the major areas of concern in the country.

Last year, 2010, was a period of public relations, publicity stunts, political rhetoric, populist slogans and pure propaganda puff by Prime Minister Najib Razak and his BN government. They put up a perfect ‘performance’ of “1 Malaysia: People First, Performance Now”, with the rakyat being offered a pipe-dream and a pie in the sky!

Najib’s flagging image was re-engineered by Apco Worldwide, a global public relations consultant. He was portrayed as a premier who was ready and raring to redeem Bolehland with his purported radical reforms and to “transform Malaysia through a comprehensive innovation process”.

Surely Apco would not have to contend with the fact that as a former Defence Minister Najib had left a “disgraceful” legacy of financial mismanagement, irregularities in procurement, wastage and even serious allegations of kickbacks, bribery and corruption. Public amnesia paved the way for public relations.

Their publicity blitz included the PM in a pleasantries-and-photo session with the US President (arranged by lobbyists reportedly costing RM25 million). Najib’s image was further propped up with his “First Lady” receiving an obscure award there, highlighted in a very costly advertisement in the New York Times, paid by taxpayers.

Najib was continually cast as one who was confident, competent and even courageous in reviving the country’s comatose economy with his slew of acronyms, showcase of plans and pledges, and spate of potential privatised projects costing trillions!

For spinning illusions, Apco is paid RM77 million of taxpayers’ money a year. Malaysia is the consultancy’s highest paying client. The government think-tank ‘Performance Management on Delivery Units’ (Pemandu) was set up at the price of RM66 million, with RM36 million going to American consultancy firm McKinsey and Co.

The Pemandu operating budget for 2011 will be as high as RM729 million — Pemandu (RM40 million), National Key Result Areas (RM334 million) and National Key Economic Areas (RM355 million). (Subsidy cuts were expected to save about RM750 million in 2010 — more than enough to pay for Pemandu’s operating budget?)

Out of Pemandu’s labs came a plethora of projections, programmes, powerpoint presentations, persuasive charts, paraphernalia and promising plans that “will position the nation on the right path towards attaining developed nation status by 2020”.

But it did not take long before Apco’s plastic public relations and the PM’s pretence began to peel off. The Opposition posed very pertinent and pointed questions at his grandiose proposals. They even presented alternatives, for example, the DAP’s Budget! Bloggers poked fun at the piecemeal initiatives.

Najib wanted to be a spinmaster himself: he insisted that 1 Malaysia was his very own creation; it is not political but merely a tool to foster unity! His logic spun out of control when faced with the fact that it is a concept propagated by a government that promotes a race-based party system, which is the main obstacle to our unity!

Further, as was pointed out by Lim Kit Siang, 20 months since the introduction of Najib’s 1 Malaysia, the reverse has taken place. There has been an unprecedented rhetoric of irresponsible politicking, racist extremism and religious bigotry emanating from Perkasa and within Umno, in particular Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia.

By the end of 2010, Najib, who fancied himself as the Father of Transformation, had this to show — farcical changes, fantasised figures, flip-flops, a frail economy, failing institutions, flawed policies (like the New Economic Model (NEM)) and a fraudulent Perak government.

An illusion

Najib gave himself away when whilst staunchly defending Malay rights at the 61st Umno Annual General Assembly, revealed that ‘crushed bodies’, ‘lost lives’, ‘ethnic cleansing’ if the status quo was not kept! 1 Malaysia has nothing to do with unity but with Najib keeping his “throne” in Putra-jaya, no matter what!

Najib’s political masquerade came off again when, at the BN convention in early December, he made a vicious attack on Pakatan Rakyat calling it “anti-national”, “evil”, “very dangerous” and “despicable”. Najib proved to be as superficial and shallow as his reforms, and this is the man who wanted to teach Obama moderation!

As the think-tanks churned out more transformation programmes and the judiciary played its part in the sodomy case, Najib and a “transformed” Umno continued on with their scare tactics, saber-rattling tricks, sinister theatrics, scandalous political thuggery and silly “traitor” and “treason” labelling.

Najib’s 1 Malaysia dream was reduced to an illusion each time it became glaring that the PM and his deputy were in collision and were far from being of one mind when it came to issues such as the economy, inter-faith or ethnic relations or whether to continue courting Pas in the name of Malay unity.

In December 2010, the PM betrayed himself when he chickened out of reforming the NEP, which according to CIMB Group CEO Nazir Abdul Razak has been “bastardised”. Najib relegated the NEM to merely a “trial balloon” and backtracked from his commitment that affirmative action would be implemented based on need and not on race.

Alas, 2010 was a year when the rakyat especially the poor, had to struggle with soaring prices and a senseless high cost of living as a result of being shortchanged by the government’s charade of change, whilst corporate giants and cronies escaped subsidy cuts and bled the country dry.

Reforms and greater respect for human rights and civil liberties remained an illusion last year. The Najib administration continued to display intolerance towards dissent and free speech. The proposed cyber-sedition law signalled the increase in further crackdowns on the freedom of expression.

Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) released its Civil and Political Rights Report 2010, which warned that the country’s human rights record worsened in 2010 and that Bolehland was returning to “Mahathir’s era” — a period known for its intolerance of dissent. According to Suaram, they were “signs of a closing society”.

Najib and the BN continued to make use of the mainstream media to the maximum to spin its illusory world of magic and make-believe, and to manufacture the so-call truth to serve its political manipulations and maneuverings especially through the BN-owned newspapers.

With the media muzzled, Bolehland plunged 10 notches to 141 in the 2010 World Press Freedom Index – the lowest in nine years putting it firmly in the bottom quarter of 178 countries. The government also got into a books-banning-binge, ignoring the fact that such a ban to media freedom will only lead us into a political backwater.

Lesser people were buying the BN’s mouthpieces’ muck, malice and morass. For example the Utusan Melayu, the company which publishes Umno’s and its right wing offshoot Perkasa’s mouthpiece, Utusan Malaysia, recorded a pre-tax loss of RM10.682 million in the first nine months of 2010.

Najib took the country to great “heights” and depths in 2010. Our 2009 national debt rose to 53.7 per cent of GDP, its highest level in five years. There was an exodus of money from Malaysia on a scale which surpassed that during the Asian crisis. Malaysia’s FDI plunged 81 per cent, and we were the only Asean country to experience negative FDI flow in 2009.

Malaysia was seen to be more corrupt than ever by Transparency International (TI) in its global Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2009 launched in Nov. 2010. Paul Low, president of the local branch of TI, laid the blame on the federal government, singling out its lack of political will in enforcing tight anti-graft measures.

While Najib and the BN were kept busy building an illusion with the help of their spin doctors, the Opposition, the PKR in particular, were brought down to earth to face the reality that if they do not get their own house in order soon they might as well forget about controlling Parliament House.

Thus goes the story of this sick country and a sham democracy in 2010. — Aliran.com

Part III: Firestorm over fatal police shootings

Celebrating Police Day! (3)
By Martin Jalleh

There was deep concern and consternation throughout 2010 over what the public viewed as the growing “shoot-to-kill” culture by the police force or what R. Sivarasa, the MP for Subang, called “a culture of impunity”.

“It means that they feel that they can do as they wish and they won’t be held accountable… they can shoot, kill, and there won’t be any questions asked (or)… any investigations and that they can continue doing so,” he said.

The nationwide concern over the trigger-happy cops of PDRM culminated into public outraged in April with the police “killing” of 14-year old Form III student Aminulrasyid Hamzah about 100 metres from his Shah Alam house.

The callous responses and cavalier attitude of the IGP, Home Minister and the police as they tried to contain the public firestorm caused the public to lose confidence in them and repeatedly call for the IGP to resign.

Respected lawyer Art Harun captured the sentiments of the people so clearly: “Right-minded people of Malaysia regard the killing of Aminulrasyid as symptomatic of lawless totalitarianism.”

“But that which makes this case all the more nauseating is not so much that this totally unnecessary killing of a 14-year-old boy had happened, but rather the responses by various parties — those people upon whom our security is entrusted — during the aftermath.

“The responses have been anything but humane, sensitive or even caring. They are arrogant, defensive and downright rude. Where is the love? Where is the humility? Doesn’t it occur to these people that they occupy seats of trust?”

Further, the police have become very predictable with their pat responses: “The dead were criminals. They behaved in a suspicious manner. They tried to evade/resist arrest. They drove away dangerously. Weapons were later found. Police acted by the rules. The law allows them to defend themselves” (Free Malaysia Today)

Cold Blooded

Seven months after Aminulrasyid was gunned down, three youths between the ages of 15 and 22 were shot dead after a reported high-speed car chase in Shah Alam. They were suspected of robbing a petrol station. Two of the families of the trio claimed that they were killed by the police in cold blood.

Lawmakers on both sides of the political divide demanded that newly-installed IGP Ismail Omar end the indiscriminate fatal police shootings. DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang declared: “It would appear that with the change of IGP, there is no change in the police culture as such.”

Before the year ended, human rights and legal reform advocates “Lawyers for Liberty” highlighted the seriousness of the situation. The number of fatal shootings by the police rose 17-fold since 2001 – from five in 2001 to a shocking total of 82 in 2008 and 88 in 2009.

Judging from Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein’s curt, cold and caustic response, it is very clear that such “extrajudicial killings” will continue on in Bolehland! He said there was no surge in the number of fatal shootings. The matter was just being “sensationalized” in parliament. There could be a “slight increase” after all.
Hishammuddin’s continued his hogwash: “Let the police respond on the data …If not, I would be asked this question every day when there are other serious matters to respond to”. The data provided was from the police themselves! And what is more “serious” than the safety and security of innocent lives of Malaysians?

There were also those who were shot by the police but who managed to survive, the latest being Ho Chei Hang who was shot four times by plainclothes police officers in Kepong in November. The story of Norizan Salleh who was mistakenly shot five times by police officers last year continued to receive public attention in 2010.

It is evident that the only effective way to keep the police in check and the only convincing government action is the formation of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC). Sadly, the federal government has proven to be a big hindrance to such a necessary move, and for obvious reasons.

Part IV: Crime – Raw stats or real story?

Celebrating Police Day! (4)
By Martin Jalleh

The rakyat was told that the government’s battle against crime showed good results in 2010. Home Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein announced in May 2010 that his Ministry’s success in reducing the crime rate index for the first four months of the year had surpassed the initial target.

Minister in the PM’s Department Senator Idris Jala revealed the results of the National Key Results Area (NKRA) for crime were outstanding for the first quarter and what the police and the ministry had done in that period was totally beyond expectation.

In Oct. 2010 a very elated IGP Ismail Omar proudly declared that police statistics indicated a significant drop in street crime by 38% and in the overall crime index by 16% between January and September.

But strangely, and as was so aptly put by Lim Kit Siang in October, “…up and down the country, ordinary Malaysians do not feel this dividend of fall of crime index in their daily lives as they do not feel comparatively safer in the streets, public places or privacy of their homes…”

In fact Kit Siang’s sentiments were so eloquently echoed by former Deputy Bank Governor Tan Sri Dr. Lin See Yin, in his article “The mystique of national transformation” which appeared online before the year ended:

“As I see it, discernable progress in four areas of priority concern to the rakyat and investors needs to come early enough to build confidence. They are corruption, crime, education and private enterprise.

“It is not enough to show that in the first nine months of 2010, crime fell by 16% (but still have 132,355 unresolved reported cases) and street crimes fell 38% (18,299 unresolved reported cases) or that 648 people were arrested for corruption.

“The public and investors (with ears on the ground) have to “feel” any improvement. Raw and biased statistics cannot tell the real story, and don’t impress. At this time, it would appear the rakyat and investors don’t “feel” any material improvement in the crime and corruption situation. That matters. But they don’t rush to judgment.

“What they want to “feel” is for today to be better than yesterday, and tomorrow to be better than today; and come tomorrow, their expectations are fulfilled. Incidents from personal experience reinforce this.”

In spite of the claims by the authorities and public surveys of a drop in the public’s fear of crime thereby signifying growing confidence in the police force, the fact remained, as John Sebastian wrote in the Malaysian Insider (18 Nov. 2010) that:

More housing estates are having to handle own security, hire guards and put up barricades.

Police are more reluctant to accept reports from public.

Malaysians are altering their lives every day because of fear of crime.

People are putting in more locks, closed-circuit or cyber-camera systems and alarm systems. Because they don’t feel safe.

“So if Pemandu and any other alphabet soup committee actually believe the better crime situation in the country, they must be on magic mushrooms.

“The day Malaysians don’t feel the need to engage their own security guards to guard their homes and family is the day when the tide against crime has been turned.

“That day isn’t coming as soon as the next general elections. So give us a break. Spare us the good news according to surveys. Just do more to make all Malaysians feel safe.”

Perhaps the public would feel more confident about the police, about being more safe and secure and that the statistics truly reflect the crime rate reality – when the police stop playing politics and government sets up the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).