the internet has turned me into a one-click activist. all i need is connectivity, a kind of name, an email address. i don't have to leave my room, i don't even have to get up from my chair, i don't have to experience or touch or smell. all i need to do is see through an interface, read and have a split second think. then insert my name and click.

today, i received an email that called for a petition to boycott an artist - Guillermo Vargas "Habacuc"- from representing his country at the Bienal Centroamericana Honduras 2008. I'm not sure what the event is, apart from being some kind of art exhibition.

he definitely caught a stray dog from the streets, leashed it with a rope inside a gallery in nicaragua last year as his art piece for an exhibition entitled 'Eres Lo Que Lees' - 'You Are What You Read'. The title is written on the wall with dog biscuits while the stray dog walks nearby, just out of reach, tied with a rope around his neck.

it caused outrage, understandably, and pictures were released and sent over the internet that showed the dog gradually starving to death. the gallery owner insists that the dog escaped and it was only tied for 3 hours during the exhibition, before which the artist fed the dog with food he brought himself. other petition sites pulled quotes from him here and there and concluded that he admitted to starve the dog to death.

whichever way the truth, there are currently more than 2 million signatures in support of the move to boycott this "animal-hating" artist.

on the flipside, the “One Million Signatures" campaign organised by Iranian women's rights activists since 2006, demanding for changes in laws that discriminate against women has to date only managed to get slightly more than 7 thousand signatures.

so let's see. artist drags stray dog to be exhibited as art, disputed intentions and conclusion of actual death, 2 million supporters. whole populations of women and men in a country facing clearly documented discrimination, violence and suppression, 7 thousand odd supporters.

so the one-click activist is not only lazy in terms of activism, but also lazy in terms of analysis.

give me some pictures, clear visuals of a starving dog, easy to understand terms, and i'll give you my name.

give me an actual complex reality of shit happening in the world, where i have to actually do some search because even information is clamped down, campaign sites filtered and blocked, people struggling to get some small measure of truth out in the open, i just can't be bothered.

too difficult. time is passing on too fast. hyperlinks are waiting, and only those dished out ready to be served with cute buttons and easy navigation.

give me a story, full of drama, heart-rending pictures, moral outrage and digestible ethics. i'll give you my name.

*click*

somehow, since i turned 21, i haven't been in the country for any of the general elections. first was undergrad, then postgrad, and missed all the exciting stuff that was reformasi, pak lah mari, etc. now, finding myself happily in the country, registered and all ready to be whipped up into a frenzy of flags and flatulence.

signed up with Women's Candidacy Initiative - a bunch of energetic women and men who was supporting Toni Kasim as an independent candidate. for as long as i've known her, she has never ceased to amaze with her sharp take on injustice, sense of humour, boisterous commitment, breadth of activism and amazing humility. she's just super cool. i'd vote her in as prime minister any day.

but she's really quite ill now, and we're all biting our nails in worry. as a result, she's no longer running as a candidate. we're still trying to push for the WCI 10 point manifesto in the elections though.

missing an enigmatic leader, we decided to engage through the witty and larger-than-life persona who is Mak Bedah.

enjoy! :)

right click, save as and blog it!

original url at: http://www.wci2.org/images/banners/wci_blog_final.gif. just add this code to your site:

<img src="http://www.wci2.org/images/banners/wci_blog_final.gif" alt="women's candidacy initiative - show your support!>

News just in: Parliament has been dissolved today. Elections is not only looming, it's breathing down our faces! Support WCI and spread the news far and wide. It's time to try and make at least a dent of difference to how politics look in this country.

---------

The Women's Candidacy Initiative (WCI) is pleased to announce the candidacy of Zaitun (Toni) Mohamed Kasim for the upcoming 12th General Elections.

WCI
WCI is a collaboration of women and men who believe that the political participation of women at every level of decision-making is vital to advancing and upholding the rights of women and to better represent their concerns.  This will be the second time that WCI will field a candidate in the election. WCI made history during the 10th General Elections when it fielded Toni Kasim to run on a women's human rights platform in the Selayang parliamentary seat against the incumbent, Chan Kong Choy (BN). WCI polled 43% (26,144) of the vote in the constituency, slashing the winning margin for the incumbent from 38,627 in the 1995 general election to 8,835.
 
WCI's Candidate - Toni Kasim
Our candidate, Toni Kasim is no stranger to the women's movement and the larger human rights movement. She has worked tirelessly for the last 15 years in Malaysia, on a wide range of human rights and women's rights issue. She has been involved in various civil society organizations and movements to work on issues such as sexual harassment, domestic violence, poverty, HIV/AIDS, women's access to leadership and the impact of religious fundamentalisms on people's lives. Her work is based on the fundamental belief that women and men, and people of all races and religions should be equal before the law.

WCI - What we believe in
WCI believes that no one should be discriminated against because of their gender, religious beliefs, ethnicity or nationality - every person has the right to equal access to health, education and employment, the freedom of belief and practices according to the Constitution. We have the right to safe and affordable living conditions where we can live without fear or injustice or discrimination.

We also assert that politics belongs to all and that for a democracy to be truly representative, it must have the participation of civil society - ordinary men and women who make up this country, regardless of whether they choose to join a political party or not. WCI gave expression to this ideal in the 1999 general elections and this year, with bigger support and commitment, we are pleased to come together once again in the second phase of WCI to participate in the coming elections.

We believe in the growing importance of civil society participation in the elections process. However, trying to bring this ideal to fruition has not been easy. The voice of civil society has largely been drowned by politicians who have ruled over us for 50 years. Systems and structures have been put in place to make it very difficult for the diverse Malaysian voices to be heard. These include gerrymandering and increasing the deposits for candidates who wish to run in the elections.

With the limited resources available to independent candidates and an election system that is less than free and fair, there are numerous barriers for effective participation in the elections. For women, these barriers are even more pronounced. But this year, we are experiencing a thrilling second phase of our growth, and we are excited to be planning the campaign for an independent woman candidate once again, to make sure that women's issues are highlighted and do not fall off the agenda.
 
In spite of an election system that presents numerous challenges to our candidacy, we are committed to run a campaign that is clean, fair and ethical:
•    As an independent women's candidacy our campaign will not be based on monetized politics, because we want to be accountable to the people, not to businesses.
•    As believers and defenders of universal human rights, we will ensure that issues of public importance are tackled critically and with humanity.
•    As supporters of women's equal access to leadership, we will ensure that women's voices are heard and heeded.
•    We will also ensure that our campaign does not waste resources unnecessarily.

How you can be a part of the WCI campaign
We would also like to use this opportunity to invite other Malaysians who believe in democracy, justice and equality to lend your support to WCI this coming election. Because we are an initiative driven by ordinary people who believe in fairness and equality, we need all the help we can get. There are many ways in which you can help. You can contribute by donating in cash or in kind, or you can volunteer your time and energy to help us put this campaign together, or you can simply spread the word and help us make some noise.
 
Finally, you can contribute by not voting inequality, but by voting for EQUALITY!
 
Toni Kasim was the right candidate for WCI in 1999, and she is the right candidate this time around. It is therefore with great pleasure that we hereby officially launch the 2nd phase of the Women's Candidacy Initiative, and our candidate for the upcoming 12th General Elections.

End discrimination, Vote Equality.

To know more about how you can contribute or volunteer, please call WCI at 017-302 7030.

WCI is conducting a volunteers workshop. Please register by calling WCI at 017-302 7030.

WCI Volunteers Workshop
Date: 16th February 2008
Time: 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Venue : Pusat Janadaya (Empower), 13 Lorong 4/48E, Seksyen 4, 46050, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

For more information, log on to www.wci2.org

Great overview on the state of media this year by CIJ:

---

Freedom of Expression: 2007 a year of persecutions
By the Centre for Independent Journalism
16 December 2007

Overall, the state of freedom of expression in 2007 marks a further
deterioration compared to 2006. While 2006 was highlighted by the
suspension of newspapers due to the Muhammad caricature, the closure
of public discussion on race and religion initiated by the Article 11
coalition, and the censorship on books and film, 2007 was the year of
persecution and clampdown on people who use alternative platforms for
expression, such as bloggers and street assemblies, and increasing
media interference to tighten the flow of information.

These three trends are distinct in 2007. Editorial interference by the
government were prevalent throughout the year, while harassment of
bloggers increased both in frequency and severity during the second
half of the year. The last two months of 2007 witnessed a surge of
crackdown on public assemblies, culminating in the invocation of the
Internal Security Act (ISA) against five leaders of the Hindus Rights
Action Force (HINDRAF)

Interference in media reporting by official directives, warnings,
"advice" and harassment continued to be one the biggest trends in
Malaysia. The principal givers of directives were the Ministry of
Internal Security, headed by the Prime Minister himself and the
Ministry of Information, headed by Minister Zainuddin Maidin. However,
the year also saw a number of other state actors exerting control over
media content. They ranged from the police and the Law Minister, Nazri
Aziz who tried to bar media coverage on crime, to the Chairman of the
Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, Halim Shafie who
ordered broadcasters against giving airtime for speeches by the
opposition political parties. This was however reversed by the
Minister of Energy, Water and Communication, Lim Keng Yaik.

The "no coverage" orders by the Internal Security Ministry and
Information Ministry to the media were prompted by various issues of
the day, ranging from what was being discussed in the political blogs
to the assemblies by BERSIH (a coalition of political parties and
non-governmental groups on free and fair elections) and HINDRAF. The
bans were sometimes selective. For example, the media was barred from
reporting responses and outcry over the Deputy Prime Minister's
proclamation that Malaysia is an Islamic state despite its secular
constitution. In a letter, it was stated that only the views of the
Prime Minister and his deputy on this issue should prevail in the
print media. This was at the expense of other Barisan Nasional
component parties, which also felt strongly against the DPM's
statement. In the HINDRAF issue, statements by UMNO leaders continued
to receive coverage despite an order by the authorities to play the
issue down. This demonstrates that the level of dominance over the
media is certainly not uniform across the ruling parties. In the
meantime, the Information Ministry has been vocal in attacking bolder
or independent media, despite it having no power to censure the media.
The Minister has twice attacked theSun, an English daily known for
pushing the boundaries. It also attacked international new agency, Al
Jazeera for its live report on police violence during the BERSIH rally.

Editorial interference is also part of the underlying factor for the
general practices of self-censorship among editors. It should be noted
that the list of interference is not exhaustive as there could be many
unreported cases especially the more subtle ones. This could be the
reason for the termination of columnists Amir Muhammad and Zainah
Anwar in the pro-government New Straits Times. The former is an
independent filmmaker while the latter is a women rights activist.
Self-censorship also leads to unethical reporting when certain stories
were slanted heavily towards the government. One example of such bias
is the reporting of public rallies by BERSIH in Batu Burok, Terengganu
and Kuala Lumpur and the one organised by HINDRAF, also in the city.
HINDRAF and BERSIH were subject to severe criticism for using violent
ways, while the reports were silent on the violence by the police and
security forces. Casualties from the civilians' side were severely
underreported. In another case, the media remained silent on RSF Press
Freedom Index, which showed a huge drop in Malaysia's ranking. The
only reports were of the dismissal of the ranking, accusing it of
being a western agenda. Interestingly, state-run Radio 24 (a newly
launched 24-hours news stations) ran an interview with the Centre for
Independent Journalism Executive Director and National Union of
Journalists President, while all private-owned newspapers steered away
from the issue.

The second trend is the intimidation, which shifted from rhetoric in
2006 to actual persecution against bloggers who write about social and
political issues. Two such bloggers were slapped with defamation suits
(Jeff Ooi and Ahiruddin Atan, aka Rocky Bru) by New Straits Times and
its top officials; one (Nathaniel Tan) was detained for four days
because of a link posted by an anonymous commentator; another (Raja
Petra Kamarudin) and his wife, not a blogger, were grilled by the
police after UMNO, the largest ruling party lodged a report under the
Sedition Act; and another (Tian Chua) was questioned under the
Communications and Multimedia Act for posting a photo-montage. Two
other bloggers received threats, one a member of the government
backbenchers club, (Ruhanie Ahmad) and a California-based Malaysian
(M.Bakri Musa). These bloggers were targeted amidst developments that
were threatening the government. Jeff Ooi and Ahiruddin Attan were
sued amidst the feud between Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and
former PM Mahathir Mohammad. Actions against Raja Petra and Nathaniel
came at the time of a rift between the Deputy Minister of Internal
Security and the police force, as allegation of serious corruption in
the police force was gaining momentum. Tian Chua was questioned during
the trial of the murder of Altantuya Sharibuu, a Mongolian. His
photo-montage suggested a link between the Deputy Prime Minister, his
aide Abdul Razak and Altantuya herself, who was purportedly murdered
by Abdul Razak. It is clear from the actions that they were intended
to silence the bloggers from discussing those issues.

Another related case is of a Malaysian student in Taiwan, Wee Meng
Chee, who was under fire for his music video on YouTube, of the
national anthem with rap lyrics, mainly about his feelings concerning
corruption, discrimination and race relations. The government
threatened action under the Sedition Act and the National Anthem Act.
The police however conceded that it was unable to charge Wee for
posting the video abroad. Wee was subsequently compelled to issue an
apology. This incident also brought the issue of ethical reporting to
attention as the story first appeared, in the language of
condemnation, in Harian Metro, a tabloid under the government-link
media conglomerate Media Prima.

The momentum of crackdown on public assemblies gathered since the
rally organized by BERSIH, the coalition for clean and fair election,
at Batu Burok. Live bullets were shot at the crowd resulting in the
injury of two. It is unprecedented in terms of police violence in
controlling the crowd. At the BERSIH and HINDARF rallies, police
instituted elaborate measures to break them by mounting roadblocks,
stopping buses, cars and arresting passengers, firing chemical laced
water and tear gas at the crowd, and arresting participants. In the
BERSIH-organised rally in Kuala Lumpur on 10 November, 34 people were
known to be arrested, while 136 people were arrested during the
HINDRAF rally on 25 November. HINDRAF leader P Uthayakumar, his
brother P. Waythamoorthy and V. Ganabatirau, were arrested under the
Sedition Act two days before the rally. Two more assemblies were held
after that - the lawyers' walk on Human Rights Day and a gathering of
people to support the submission of a memorandum to Members of
Parliament organised by BERSIH. In a new trend, police obtained
restraining orders against participants to the HINDRAF rally and the
Parliament group. These gatherings resulted in six lawyers arrested in
the Human Rights Day celebrations and 26 members of the BERSIH who
tried to go to Parliament to submit a memorandum to protest the
constitutional amendment on the tenure of the Chairman of Election
Commission. Police also started hunting down leaders and re-arresting
participants of the assemblies. Tian Chua from Parti Keadilan Rakyat
(PKR) and Mohamad Sabu from PAS, both part of BERSIH, were arrested on
9 December. Three days earlier, 31 people from the HINDRAF rally were
re-arrested and charged fro attempted murder and attending an illegal
assembly. Uthayakumar himself were arrested, released and re-arrested
on 11 December under the Sedition Act. He and four others were
eventually detained under the Internal Security Act on 13 December.

Another worrying trend that has surfaced is the attacks on journalists
and photographers by state actors or those with suspected links with
state actors. Four such cases were reported in the media. The more
serious is a journalist from the Malaysia Nanban, a Tamil language
daily, who was assaulted by unknown assailants. He has come out of a
coma and has vowed to continue his writings, some of which are
critical of the administration and the leading Indian political party,
the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC). His colleague in the northern
territory has also lodged a police report after receiving a death
threat from an unknown person. He was warned to stop writing about the
problem of the Tamil schools or faced the same consequences as his
colleague in coma.

Underlying these problems are the growing concentration of media
ownership, where in this year alone, four Chinese-language dailies –
Sin Chew Daily, Guang Ming Daily, China Press and Nanyang Siang Pau –
were consolidated under one company owned by a timber tycoon, Tiong
Hiew King, known for his close relations with the ruling party.
Ownership of the private media by big corporate companies, and with
close ties to the government, have further impacted on the diversity
and plurality of information in an already controlled environment.

The real danger of little freedom of expression is the risk of
increasing polarization along ethnicities among Malaysians. The gap is
also poised to widen between those who subscribe mostly to the
mainstream media, which often misinform according to the interest of
the powers-that be, and those who access wider source of information
from the internet and foreign media. On the clampdown of assemblies,
those who read mainstream media are only presented with the picture of
harmony under siege and the provocation of one race against the
others. It seriously calls into question the government's wisdom that
freedom of expression must play second to racial harmony. The opposite
proves to be true. Any widening of misunderstanding among races is
traceable to the limitation on freedom of expression, which prevents
issues to be solved.

In this regard, the Centre for Independent Journalism continued to
call for the abolition of repressive laws, the setting up of a
Parliamentary Select Committee on Media Reforms, and for greater
public scrutiny of and engagement with the media.

Prepared by CIJ Advocacy Officer, Yip Wai Fong.

For more information, please call CIJ at 03-40230772 or email waifong
[at} cijmalaysia [dot] org.

Just tried clicking on the map. Hopefully it works!

technorati tags: takebackthetech

and it begins...!

the sun has risen, my tongue is burnt,
i can smell yesterday's sweat trying to squirm
into tomorrow.

16 days of manic blogging!

***************************
ka-BLOG! TAKE BACK THE TECH!
www.takebackthetech.net
25 Nov to 10 Dec
***************************

ka-BLOG! Calling all bloggers to contaminate the blogosphere with activism on VAW for 16 days.

ka-BLOG is a 16-day blog fest for the Take Back the Tech Campaign. It is open to anyone and everyone - girls, boys, everyone beyond and more -- who want to share their thoughts on violence against women, and how online communications can exacerbate or help eliminate VAW.

---------------------------
What is the campaign about?
---------------------------
Take Back The Tech is simply a call for every person– women and men, who uses information & communication technologies, e.g. mobile phone, internet, radio etc., to use them for activism against VAW (violence against women). Unequal power relations lie at the heart of VAW, and this is apparent from the streets to online spaces. So we are saying technology should be used for equality, not to perpetuate violence.

---------------
How to ka-BLOG?
---------------

1. *commit*: commit yourself to 16 days of blogging about violence against women and technology.

2. *email*: email jac AT apcwomen DOT org, with your blog address & name/handle/nick
OR register yourself at the campaign website: http://www.takebackthetech.net/user/register
If possible, before 25 November. If you don't have a blog yet, this will be a great place to start! Email us, and we'll send you links on how to start your own blog :)

2. *identify*: make it known by putting a takebackthetech icon on your blog — create your own or grab a few icons from our Campaign Tools and Materials.

3. *post*: post one thing a day from 25 nov to 10 dec on this issue

4. tag it: add the "takebackthetech" tag your posts; just cut & paste the following code to to the bottom of each post:

<!-- technorati tags begin --><p style="font-size: 10px; text-align: right;">technorati tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/takebackthetech" rel="tag directory">takebackthetech</a></p><!-- technorati tags end -->

5. link back: send in your bloglinks and and we'll rss your posts to the campaign website throughout the 16 days

6. expand: widen the campaign to your readers by linking your blog to the campaign site.

-----------------------
What to ka-BLOG! About?
-----------------------

Anything as long as it's about violence against women and gender relations,and their connection to technology. We've come up with some questions for exploration because we know can be difficult and exhausting to think of things to write about for 16 days! If you have any ideas, share it with us through email, or blog about it. We'll find your post and add it to the list on the campaign website.

1. Do role playing games or communities promote sexual violence?
2. Are webcam girls victims or sexually empowered?
3. Is online harassment really harmful?
4. How can right to privacy coexist with right to expression?
5. Is sex online ‘real’ or just harmless ‘fantasy’?
6. What does it mean to take back the tech when 5 billion people in the world have no internet access?
7. The State can’t even get serious about domestic violence, how is it possible for something like cyberstalking to be a public safety issue?
8. The internet is for… (porn?)
9. Should internet service providers like Yahoo! have a right to my data since they’re free?
10. Is internet censorship the only way to deal with violent or sexually degrading content?
 
But also, feel free to skip any of these and blog about anything that's on your mind :) It does not matter if the blog entries come in the form of jokes, limmericks, poetry, short stories, blurbs, graphics, pictures, articles, creative narratives.

We welcome bloggers in different languages!

So ka-BLOG! with us!

For more information on ka-BLOG!, go http://www.takebackthetech.net, or email jac AT apcwomen DOT org

[FYI. In Filipino slang, "ka-BLOG" would mean someone you blog with.]

technorati tags: takebackthetech

some posts said to put the image instead of blogging. some posts said to make a post about burma. either way, there will be a splash of red across the blogosphere.

free burma - i guess arundhati roy might say: free for whom, against whom, by whom?  US' response is typically economic sanctions. if it doesn't work, maybe they'll find some weapons of mass justification.

malaysia? 


our ever updating and evolving formulas are of course much better: ISA since the emergency period in 1948 is still thriving gorgeously. the unchanging stance of treatment to refugee seekers in the country since the 1970s.

something in the world hurts.

spreading the word:

-------

The Petition to His Majesty The Yang DiPertuan Agung
September 30th, 2007

Have you signed on to the petition to His Majesty the Yang DiPertuan Agung to ask for the establishment of a Royal Commission to look into and stop the rot in the judiciary and to return the judiciary back to the rakyat?

Have not read the petition?

To read the draft petition in English, please click HERE.

The actual petition, complete with the language of protocol, is now reproduced below.

To sign up in support of this petition, please send your name and i.c. number to :

savethejudiciary@gmail.com

_________________________________

Dengan nama Allah yang Maha Pemurah dan Maha Mengasihani,

Menghadap ke majlis Seri Paduka Baginda,

Alwathiqubillah Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin ibni Almarhum Sultan Mahmud Almuktafi Billah Shah, yang bersemayam di atas takhta Kerajaan Malaysia dengan penuh daulat dan kebesarannya serta didoakan senantiasa baginda berada dalam perlindungan Allah yang Mahakuasa dengan dianugerahkan bertambah-tambah lagi kemuliaan serta darjat jua adanya: Amiin Ya Rabbuljaliil.

Ampun Tuanku,

Patik merafak sembah memohon limpah perkenan Tuanku semoga mempersudikan menerima dan menimbangkan warkah rayuan yakni petition yang tak sepertinya ini yang dipersembahkan bagi pihak rakyat Tuanku yang peka terhadap kejadian dan keadaan masyarakat yang kian meruncing dan membimbangkan. Patik sekalian mengharapkan perkenan pertimbangan Tuanku yang penuh ihsan dan bijaksana jua demi memelihara dan mengekalkan kesejahteraan , kebajikan dan kebahagiaan rakyat yang taat setia kepada Tuanku.

Ampun Tuanku,

Berikut adalah tajuk dan rayuan yang amat tulus bagi perkenan tatapan Tuanku:

RAYUAN RAKYAT SERI PADUKA BAGINDA TUANKU UNTUK MENGAMBIL LANGKAH MEMULIHKAN SISTEM KEHAKIMAN

Pada 19/9/2007 negara dikejutkan oleh satu lagi skandal, kali ini berupa satu klip video yang mendedahkan apa yang nampaknya seperti satu perbualan telefon di antara peguam kanan VK Lingam dan seorang lagi, yang dikatakan mengatur pelantikan hakim-hakim kanan yang ‘mesra’.

Penelitian terhadap monolog tersebut jelas menunjukkan bahawa perbualan telefon tersebut ternyata adalah di antara VK Lingam dan Ketua Hakim Negara, Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim dan perbualan itu berkaitan perlantikan dan kenaikan pangkat para hakim. Beberapa hakim yang lain turut dinamakan dalam perbualan tersebut.

Sejurus selepas klip video tersebut didedahkan, Tun Ahmad Fairuz mengatakan bahawa dia hanya akan membuat kenyataan setelah melihat klip tersebut, tetapi respon yang diterima selepas itu berbentuk kenyataan ‘no comment’ dan itu pun setelah satu jangkawaktu yang lama melalui pihak ketiga yang sebenarnya tidak menafikan perbualan tersebut. Ini menimbulkan satu perasaan di kalangan rakyat bahawa Tun Ahmad Fairuz tidak menjawab persoalan ini dengan tulus ikhlas.

Skandal ini kini menimbulkan kesangsian yang mendalam terhadap kesesuaian Tun Ahmad Fairuz untuk mengetuai badan kehakiman, dan kesesuaian pelantikan serta kenaikan pangkat beberapa Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi, Mahkamah Rayuan and Mahkamah Persekutuan yang telah dibuat berdasarkan cadangan dan syor asal daripada Tun Ahmad Fairuz.

Patik serta rakyat negara ini, kini langsung tidak mempunyai sebarang keyakinan terhadap badan kehakiman.

Patik sekalian berserta ramai jua rakyat negara ini telah lama sedar bahawa sepanjang Tun Ahmad Fairuz memegang jawatannya, beberapa orang Hakim yang berpangkat lebih rendah telah dinaikkan pangkat sementara beberapa orang Hakim yang lebih kanan sering diketepikan dalam proses kenaikan pangkat.

Patik serta rakyat negara ini juga mendapat tahu, melalui berita blog tidak rasmi, bahawa Duli-duli Yang Maha Mulia dalam Persidangan Majlis Raja-raja telah pun menolak dua pencalonan yang dibuat oleh Tun Fairuz bagi jawatan Presiden Mahkamah Rayuan dan Ketua Hakim Malaya walaupun jawatan-jawatan tersebut telah lama kosong. Khabar angin mengatakan bahawa nama-nama yang dicalonkan Tun Fairuz itu berpangkat rendah berbanding dengan Hakim-hakim lain yang telah lama berkhidmat.

Patik serta rakyat negara ini, juga mendapat tahu melalui laporan akhbar bahawa terdapat sekurang-kurangnya seorang Hakim, yang telah dinaikkan pangkat sebagai Hakim Mahkamah Persekutuan, yang telah gagal menyediakan keputusan mahkamah secara bertulis bagi sekurang-kurangnya 35 kes. Ini mengakibatkan banyak kes-kes rayuan yang difailkan oleh tahanan dan banduan yang telah disabitkan kesalahan dan dipenjarakan tidak dapat diadili atau diulangbicara seterusnya.

Skandal terbaru ini juga menimbulkan keprihatinan yang serius terhadap penukaran yang telah dibuat secara mendadak terhadap Hakim yang mendengar perbicaraan satu kes bunuh yang masih berjalan di Shah Alam.

Patik serta sebahagian rakyat negara ini, juga amat bimbang terhadap keputusan Mahkamah berkenaan beberapa kes berprofil tinggi dan samada keputusan-keputusan ini telah ‘diatur’ oleh Tun Ahmad Fairuz, dan jika benar ianya telah berlaku, apakah implikasinya terhadap Hakim-hakim lain di Mahkamah-mahkamah Tinggi khasnya.

Tindak-balas Perdana Menteri, beberapa ahli Kabinet yang lain serta Peguam Negara terhadap isu klip video ini langsung tidak memberikan patik sekalian sebagai rakyat Malaysia, keyakinan bahawa skandal ini akan disiasat dengan adil dan telus sehinggakan mungkin kita tidak akan tahu apa yang sebenarnya berlaku.

Patik sekalian jua tidak percaya bahawa Perdana Menteri dan Kabinetnya benar-benar berpegang kepada usaha untuk menyiasat skandal ini, dan andainya dibuktikan sahih, samada mereka akan mengambil segala langkah yang patut dan perlu untuk mengembalikan badan kehakiman kepada statusnya sebagai institusi perlembagaan yang didirikan untuk mempertahankan secara bebas Perlembagaan, hak rakyat dan juga menegakkan sistem undang-undang.

Timbalan Perdana Menteri kita telah mengumumkan pada 29/6/2007 bahawa satu Panel yang terdiri dari 3 orang akan menyiasat skandal ini, yang mana ketua Panel tersebut terlibat dalam pemecatan Tun Salleh Abas pada tahun 1988. Ini hanya mengukuhkan pendapat patik sekalian bahawa Kerajaan Malaysia ingin memastikan bahawa hal sebenar berkenaan skandal ini langsung tidak akan diketahui.

Patik-patik sebagai rakyat Malaysia, amat bimbang sekiranya penyiasatan skandal ini dibiarkan disiasat oleh pentadbiran Perdana Menteri, pihak Polis atau pun Badan Pencegah Rasuah, maka rakyat kelak akan hanya menyaksikan satu lagi penutupan kes di mana rakyat tidak akan ada jalan untuk menuntut keadilan dan akan sentiasa curiga samaada badan kehakiman akan melindungi rakyat atau pun kepentingan beberapa pihak tertentu sahaja.

Skandal terbaharu ini menimbulkan kebimbangan samaada penyelewengan yang selama ini begitu berleluasa pada peringkat pentadbiran negara ini kini telah menyusur masuk ke dalam bidang kehakiman.

Atas sebab-sebab yang diperihalkan di paragraph-paragraf sebelum ini, patik bagi pihak sejumlah dari rakyat Malaysia, menyembahkan rayuan ini ke majlis Seri Paduka Baginda Tuanku agar Tuanku berkenan apalah kiranya menggunakan segala kuasa yang terletak hak pada Tuanku untuk:

1. Menitahkan pembentukan sebuah Suruhanjaya Penyiasat di bawah Akta Suruhanjaya Penyiasat (Commission of Enquiry Act) 1950, untuk menyiasat, mempertimbangkan dan/atau menentukan samaada perbualan di dalam klip video tersebut benar-benar berlaku di antara VK Lingam dan Tun Ahmad Fairuz dan kesahihan kenyataan-kenyataan yang dibuat oleh VK Lingam di dalam klip video tersebut. Sekiranya terbukti benar berlaku, Suruhanjaya tersebut diberikan mandat tambahan untuk menyiasat, mempertimbangkan dan/atau menentukan:

1.1. penglibatan setiap individu yang dinamakan di dalam klip video tersebut berkenaan perlantikan dan kenaikan pangkat para Hakim;

1.2 kes-kes yang melibatkan VK Lingam yang telah dibicarakan di hadapan Tun Ahmad Fairuz dan/atau mana- mana Hakim lain yang dinamakan di dalam klip video tersebut;

1.3 segala tindakan yang dilaksanakan oleh Tun Ahmad Fairuz sepanjang jawatannya sebagai Ketua Hakim Malaya, Presiden Mahkamah Rayuan dan Ketua Hakim Negara, khususnya

1.3.1 dasar perlantikan dan/atau kenaikan pangkat para Hakim oleh Tun Ahmad Fairuz terutamanya hakim-hakim yang dinamakan di dalam klip tersebut;

1.3.2 cara bagaimana ahli-ahli panel Mahkamah Rayuan dan Mahkamah Persekutuan telah dipilih oleh Tun Ahmad Fairuz sepanjang jawatannya sebagai Presiden Presiden Mahkamah Rayuan dan Ketua Hakim Negara; dan

1.3.3 cara bagaimana fail-fail diagihkan kepada panel-panel Mahkamah Rayuan dan Mahkamah Persekutuan oleh Tun Ahmad Fairuz sepanjang jawatannya sebagai Presiden Presiden Mahkamah Rayuan dan Ketua Hakim Negara.

2. Menitahkan agar Suruhanjaya Penyiasat, setelah menentukan samaada perbualan di dalam klip video tersebut benar-benar berlaku di antara VK Lingam dan Tun Ahmad Fairuz dan menentukan kesahihan kenyataan-kenyataan yang dibuat oleh VK Lingam di dalam klip video tersebut terbukti benar, untuk:

2.1 mengarahkan Perdana Menteri mengambil segala langkah-langkah yang patut dan perlu untuk melantik satu Tribunal di bawah Artikel 125 Perlembagaan Persekutuan untuk memecat Tun Ahmad Fairuz dan/atau mana-mana Hakim yang didapati Suruhanjaya sebagai terlibat, samaada secara langsung atau tidak langsung, di dalam salah laku Tun Ahmad Fairuz; dan

2.2 mengarahkan Perdana Menteri mengambil segala langkah-langkah yang patut dan perlu untuk menggantung Tun Ahmad Fairuz dan/atau mana-mana Hakim yang didapati Suruhanjaya sebagai terlibat, samaada secara langsung atau tidak langsung, di dalam salah laku Tun Ahmad Fairuz, sementara menunggu rujukan kepada dan/atau laporan Tribunal tersebut.

3. Menitahkan penubuhan segera satu Suruhanjaya bebas bagi perlantikan dan kenaikan pangkat Hakim-hakim Mahkamah Tinggi, Mahkamah Rayuan and Mahkamah Persekutuan.

Akhirul-kalam, patik sekali lagi merafak sembah memohon berbanyak kemaafan sekiranya rayuan atawa petition yang tak sepertinya ini menyentuh kalbu Tuanku secara yang tidak menyenangkan, lantaran berlakunya ucapan atawa tulisan bahasa yang terkasar atawa sebarang adab-sopan yang tercacat. Namun yakinilah Tuanku bahawa yang demikian itu bukan disengajakan dan maksud patik hanyalah untuk merayu kepada Tuanku untuk mencampuri urusan yang diperihalkan dalam warkatul-ikhlas ini memandangkan kesemua pintu telah tertutup dan segala laluan untuk menyelesaikan masalah telah terputus.

Sekian tamatnya sembah patik.

Ampun Tuanku dan Daulat Tuanku!

Patik Yang Taat Setia,