Tanda Putera: Why it should not be delayed

1. Since the past few weeks, there have been talks from both sides of the political fence on the movie 'Tanda Putera'. It is a movie by the renowned director, Suhaimi Baba. Large part of the film is about the  friendship between Allahyarham Tun Razak (then Prime Minister) and Allahyarham Tun Ismail (then Deputy Prime Minister) and how they try to build the country after a major crisis.

2. Sadly, the DAP led Pakatan is up in arms trying to influence people (especially the ethnic chinese) that this movie is just a conspiracy for the Government to get votes.

3. In this article, I am not going to respond or talk about the Pakatan DAP opposition of this film; instead, I will write about the unfounded hysteria on this movie among the pro-Government people.

4. There are two opinions on this film:

The first opinion: 

We accept the film shows FACTS which can easily be corroborated by reading the MAGERAN official reports*. However, we believe that it is not the right time to show this movie because it may slight the feelings of a certain community. It will dampen the spirit of Merdeka. It does not do any good for it to be showned during the Merdeka month.

The second opinion:

The film is based on FACTS. There is no need for delaying the film. Some communities might be slighted but it is history! If a racist Chinapunk was allowed to produce a film about our society without any delay, why would you want to delay a film by a well-mannered and experienced producer? Is it worthwhile to ignore our nation history to appease others who have decided to close their minds and hearts to you?

5. I can understand both opinions. Personally, I am more inclined towards the latter rather than the former.

6. Look at Hollywood; they produced many films about the treatment of African-American by White-Americans during the 60s. Some of these films even won Oscar and some of them were even shown during the 4^th July (US Independence Day). Do these kinds of films anger some Americans (especially those living in the Bible belt areas)? Yes. Do they delay these films? No. They let the population decides whether to watch it or not.

7. The fact that African-American are still being treated in racist manner in 2012 (although more subtle than in the 60s) is irrelevant. The point is the producers dare to produce such films because it is part of their history.

8. They hope that by producing such films it might subconsciously influence the current generation not to repeat the mistake of their parents or grandparents.

9. I know the FINAS management said that their decision is not influenced by anyone but I doubt it. Therefore, I urge the politicians who are pressuring FINAS to think carefully.

10. If we are afraid of the political consequences of this film, there is none. The DAP led Pakatan and their supporters has already stamped their “seal of disapproval”.

11. Are we afraid of seeing Malays running amok in KL streets after watching this movie? I hardly doubt it. The May 13^th tragedy occurred due to economic disparity. Although the disparity still exist, the Malays nowadays are much better than their parents and grandparents are in the 1960s, thanks to the effort by the Government to raise the economic livelihood of the Malays.

12. The insolent attitude of opposition supporters brandishing their “penyapu” on top of a lorry along the KL streets was only the precursor to the riot; it was not the core reason. That is why we came out with the Dasar Ekonomi Baru (DEB). It’s the economy!

13. Last, I urge that this movie to be shown without any further interferences (that means reinstating the 30 minutes scene that was cut –out) or delay. There will always be haters; these people do not need to watch it, simple! They just need to sit on their bum and continue blaming the government for all the problems in the world. :-p

14. Maybe, we are waiting for the racist Chinapunk to produce his “version of our nation history”, and then only we will show Tanda Putera. I wonder, if this punk is to come out with his own film, will it be banned or delayed? From experience, I highly doubt it. Last time, he even got monetary help to produce his film by the same Government who he cursed with @#$%.

* http://rayaputeh.wordpress.com/laporan-tragedi-13-mei/

On the issue of Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) : Fact or Fiction ?

Wen Kai Jien: I have no clue what is LYNAS nor do I know where is Gebeng; but one thing I know, I hate the BN Government, so whatever Pakatan DAP says is the truth!

Fatimah Zuhri: hmmm... :-|

Wen Kai Jien: OMG!!!! LYNAS is a nuclear power plant!!! :-(

Fatimah Zuhri: Calm down dear! First of all, Lynas is an Australian company involved in processing rare earth. Second, the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant in Gebeng, Pahang is a chemical processing plant; not a nuclear plant.

Wen Kai Jien: You are a liar!!! Lynas is a nuclear power plant! Lim Guan Eng told me, my mother, my aunt, my grandmother, my great grandmother etc it is a nuclear power plant! Lim Guan Eng can never lie...ever! *grrrrr*

Fatimah Zuhri: Can you please provide a proof that says LAMP is a nuclear power plant project? Other than Pakatan media of course I have not found any... :-)

Wen Kai Jien: ..............

Wen Kai Jien: I am not naive ok!!! Lynas is bad news!!! Lynas should go back to Australia, dammit!

Fatimah Zuhri: Look, Lynas came to Malaysia for economic reason. Lynas met all the regulations and approvals to build a processing plant in Australia but still chose Malaysia. We manage to attract them by providing good infrastructure, skilled workforce and attractive tax incentive.

Wen Kai Jien: You have no idea what rare earth is, so shutup! I told you I am not naive!!!! Lim Guan Eng do not lie!!!

Fatimah Zuhri: Then stop being such a spoil brat and start listen to reason. Rare earths are a unique group of fifteen chemical elements and it can be found in many parts of the world. Many modern equipments/devices use rare earth components.

Wen Kai Jien: Really meh? Like what if you soooo smart one????

Fatimah Zuhri: Let me list just a few of them down. You can google the rest if you want. :-)

Yttrium - used in producing LED television as well as treatment for ovarian and bone cancer.
Lanthanum - used in making battery for hybrid cars. Also used in vacuum tubes, camera and telescope lenses.
Neodymium - used in making headphone, microphone and speakers.
Europium- used in screening for down syndrome and genetic diseases

Wen Kai Jien: But it is radioactive!!! It has that Thorium thing that can make your children have legs in their bodies!!! I told you I am smart, just like my mentor Lim Guan Eng! :-)

Fatimah Zuhri: I'm sorry, but you are wrong again. Rare earth elements are not radioactive on their own. However, if you start extracting nor concentrating the Thorium, then it will be radioactive. In Lynas's case, they are neither extracting nor concentrating the Thorium. Therefore, the low level of radiation remains the same.

Wen Kai Jien: It has Thorium!!!!

Fatimah Zuhri: It has very low level of Thorium. Remember, there are 15 elements. Thorium is just one of them and the concentration is low. It is more dangerous mining bijih timah than mining rare earth. :-)

Wen Kai Jien: Why Lynas is given tax free status for 12 years????!!!

Fatimah Zuhri: Simple. They were given tax incentive under the Pioneer Status. Every Government in this world provides tax incentive to companies that want to come to their country. What so strange about that? When INTEL open their factories in Penang, we also gave them tax incentives. What is the big problem?

Wen Kai Jien: Why not do it in Australia ???!!!

Fatimah Zuhri: I told you already. Both Malaysia and Australia can provide skilled workforce and good infrastructure. Both country have no problem with Lynas in term of meeting safety standard. But Lynas being a business entity chose Malaysia because Malaysia gave a better tax incentive.

Wen Kai Jien: Then Malaysia will rugi la???!!!

Fatimah Zuhri: No, it won't. We are hoping that the Lynas project will create direct and indirect jobs for Malaysian. Just imagine, Lynas will require thousands of local engineers to oversee this project. Also, these engineers need to eat, buy groceries, send their children to tuition centre, etc... It will be beneficial to Pahang in the long term.

We also hope that this project will attract other high tech companies to come and setup their plants/factories/research centre here.

Wen Kai Jien: Why Lynas is using Chinese standard ?

Fatimah Zuhri: That is an outright lie. Lynas did not use the Chinese standard.Only one of the Lynas residues contains a very low level of radiation at 6 Bq/g. This is well within acceptable international standards. In contrast, the residue from some Chinese facilities is 74 Bq/g. There is no comparison between the two.

Wen Kai Jien: Lynas is going to make a lot of profit dammit !!!

Fatimah Zuhri: Since when it is wrong for a company to make money? Tell me, in the Chinese society, since when did it became Haram for a business to make money? :-)

Wen Kai Jien: But but but....the Australian Govt themselves said that they would not allow this rare earth plant to be setup in their country!

Fatimah Zuhri: That is a lie. The Lynas plant was approved in Australia many years ago but the simple fact is it's far cheaper to process in Malaysia than in Australia. There are also other rare earth plants planned for Australia (lookup Arafura and Alkane) and a rare-earth plant in California (Molycorp).

Wen Kai Jien: But but but....Western Australian Minister for Mines and Petroleum, Norman Moore said  “Australia does not support the importation and storage of other countries’ radioactive waste”.


Fatimah Zuhri: Mr Moore is not the Australian government; importation of waste is not controlled by State Governments. The Australian Federal Government is the only level of government that has exclusive power to legislate in relation to foreign affairs. It has passed a law known as the Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1989 which regulates the importation of waste into Australia. All that is needed is a permit from the Federal Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water , Population and Communities. The Act implements Australia's treaty obligations under the Basel Convention for transnational transportation of waste.

It is my understanding however that no permit will be required as the material Lynas will be producing will be so low in radioactivity that it does not constitute waste for the purpose of teh Basel convention.

Wen Kai Jien: You maybe right but I hate BN; that is why I am all out against Lynas.

Fatimah Zuhri: Yep I knew that from the start. Just like the rest of the people who have joined the anti-Lynas bandwagon, their motivation is purely political. You do not understand the issue. You're so filled with hate that you cant think objectively. Your objective is to get people angry at the Government so that they will chose Pakatan DAP as the new Govt come GE13.

Malaysian are smarter than that, Mr Wen Kai Jien!


Good links to find out about the truth on Lynas:
http://www.lynasandmalaysia.com/
http://info4thetruth.blogspot.com/2012/02/demi-kebenaran-kami-terpaksa-dedahkan.html

On the issue of Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011: A response to Lim Kit Siang

Dear Lim Kit Siang,

1. In your blog, you falsely accused the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 as being undemocratic. I would like to ask how the Bill can be undemocratic when it is tabled in a Parliament for everyone to see and debate.

2. You also said the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 is more repressive compared with Section 27 of the Police Act. How so? In section 27 of Police Act, if three or more person were to gather, they can be arrested. But in the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011, there is no minimum or maximum number of people. How can that be repressive? That is progress!

3. You also raise your objection against the ban on street protest. As stated in the Bill, street protest is defined as "begins with a meeting at a specified place and consists of walking in a mass march or rally for the purpose of objecting to or advancing a particular cause or causes".

Does this mean one cannot do demonstration on the street? You still can assemble in Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman as long as you do not make a mass march to another destination. Invite Anwar Ibrahim and Mahfuz Omar to have a demo called Occupy Stadium Shah Alam. You can put up tents inside the stadium or near the car park beside the Giant Supermarket (but make sure you don’t sleep in the same tent as Anwar...lol).

4. You falsely argued the Peaceful Assembly Bill is violating the constitutional rights of Malaysian because of (3). I believe your cognitive capacity is declining because nowhere in the constitution does it say Malaysians are allowed to do street protest.

i) Article 10(1)(a) - every citizen has the right to freedom of speech and expression.
ii) Article 10(1)(b) - all citizens have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms;

In the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011, you are FREE to assemble whether on Jalan Chan Sow Lin or in front of Anwar Ibrahim million-dollar house. Nobody is denying the  right to peacefully assemble. :-)

5. I am sure your supporters from "The Church of Komtar Cyber-Troopers" will argue that it is up to us how we assemble and it is unconstitutional for the Parliament to put restriction. My answer is simple, go back to the constitution and read what it says.

iii) Article 10 (2)(a) - Parliament may by law impose on the rights conferred by paragraph (a) of Clause (1), such restrictions as it deems necessary or expedient in the interest of the security of the Federation or any part thereof

On reading Article 10, "The Church of Komtar Cyber-Trooper" may argue that they do not give a damn about their own constitution. They will say, "I want you to look at what the UN says!!!!”

United Nation  Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
Article 20(1): Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

Sounds very much like what is in our constitution. :-) In the UDHR, there are 30 articles. Please show where does it mention peaceful Assembly as a street protest?

http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml


6. You argued that it is unlawful to restrict assembly in or within fifty metres from the limit of the prohibited place. Let us see what our constitution says and what the Bill says, shall we?

Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 - Part I (6)(a)
"The protected areas and protected places declared under the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act 1959"

Protected Areas and Protected Places Act 1959

Protected Areas : Act 298 (4)(1) - If  as  respects  any  area  it  appears  to  the  Minister  to  be necessary  or  expedient  that  special measures  should  be  taken  to control the movements and conduct of persons therein he may by order declare  the  area  to be  a protected  area  for  the purposes of this Act.

Protected Areas : Act 298 (5)(1) - If as respects any premises it appears to the Minister to be necessary or expedient that special precautions should be taken to prevent the entry therein of unauthorized persons he may by order declare  the  premises  to  be  a  protected  place  for  the  purposes  of this Act;

7. Your last argument against the Bill is the 30-day notice period. You are being mischievous because you just highlighted a clause without reading the whole context. Please let me explain:

Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 Part IV(9)(1) : Notification of Assembly

An organizer shall, within thirty days before the date of an assembly, notify the Officer in Charge of the Police District in which the assembly is to be held.

Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 Part IV(14)(1) : Response to notification

The Officer in Charge of the Police District shall respond to the notification under subsection 9(1) within twelve days of the receipt of the notification

The Bersih 2.0 rally took Pakatan six months for planning purposes (right after the embarrassing PKR party election, remember?) starting from December 2010. If Pakatan want to have another Bersih rally, they can apply immediately and they will get a response within 12 days, not 30 days.

8. I have proven to you, Lim Kit Siang the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 is not against our nation constitution. It upholds the right that every Malaysian can assemble and voice out their grievances in a peaceful manner. However I doubt neither you nor your supporters will bother to read it due to declining cognitive capability and limited attention span. Therefore I have made a short summary below:

The Facts:

1. Is Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 undemocratic ? - No. It is tabled in Parliament in front of everyone. It will be debated and our elected representatives will vote for or against it. That's democracy in action.

2. Is Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 repressive ? - No. It is better than the previous Police Act because now you can gather around with 4 Komtar cyber-troopers without getting arrested.

3. Is Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 unconstitutional ? - No. It is constitutional as stated in Article 10(1)(a) and Article 10(1)(b)

4.  Is Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 against UN UDHR ? - No.  Article 20(1) of UDHR has the same meaning as Article 10(1)(a).

 5.  Is it unlawful because of restriction to protected areas/places ? No. The bill does not contradict the constitution because Act 298 (4)(1) and Act 298 (5)(1) clearly give the Minister the power to designate certain places as protected areas/places.

6. In Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011, is it true that you will get approval after 30 days ? No. As stated  in Part IV(14)(1) : Response to notification, the officer in charge will have to reply within 12 days after receiving the notification. Therefore you will get approval LESS than 30 days!


Article 10 of Malaysian constitution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_10_of_the_Constitution_of_Malaysia
 
Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 (English) - http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=05154373994105522222

Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 (Malay) - http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=79895144361726638559

Act 298 - http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=17678400359842922736

"O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah , witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do." - Al-Maidah (8)

On the issue of Seksualiti Merdeka : A response to Marina Mahathir

Salam to Sis Marina,

1. What majority of Malaysian are against is for us to tolerate and condone an immoral activity in a public sphere/forum. It has nothing to do with individual liberty or individual discrimination as I will point below.

2. Yes, Islam teaches us to be fair and just. However what is Haram is Haram and what is Halal is Halal. I agree that just because an individual is a homosexual we have no right to call them kafir, just as we have no right to call a person who cheats, steal and kill as kafir. This is because only God have the right to determine whether an individual has gone astray from the right path or not. I believe this was the key message from both Dr Tariq Ramadhan and the late Dr Fathi Osman.

3. You pointed out that there are homosexuals who are religious. I do not deny this just as I do not deny that there are gamblers, fraudster, drug abuser, alcoholics who also believes in God, fast in Ramadhan and pray 5 times a day.  Do we also need to question why don’t we give room for people indulging in these vices in Islam?  Also, it is wrong for you to equate the fight for women’s right to the homosexual movement. You are making it more difficult for us women to bring real changes by making this association. This maybe the natural strategy taken by LBGT activist in the West but it is wrong for us to follow it because it only makes things worse.

4. Please correct me if I am wrong, in our country, if an individual commit a murder, irrespective of his/her sexual preferences, that individual will be given the death penalty. In our country, you can buy houses, get loans, get employed at Governmental agencies irrespective of your sexual preferences. Honestly, have you ever heard of someone who was asked about their sexual preferences when he/she goes to a job interview in this country?

5. In our country, every individual has the right to do whatever he/she wants to inside his/her own property as long as it does not jeopardise or encroached the property of others i.e. the community. So if a Muslim wants to consume alcohol, eat roasted pork, gamble, and indulge in homosexuality and other vices in his/her own property, then it is their right and let God judge them (point 2). This is the basic concept of liberty and nobody is encroaching on this right i.e. PDRM do not come to your house to check if you engage in homosexual activities like they do in Iran, do they?

6. So what do we do now? Nobody can deny that there are homosexuals, bisexuals and lesbians in our community and denying their existence is futile. In my opinion (feel free to disagree with it), the best solution is for us to give the right kind of support.

7. Homosexuality is a behavioural disease (I know what proponents of LBGT will say so please spear me the details/attacks - I've heard them all before). Just like alcoholism and drug abuse, the individual must first admit to him/herself that he/she has a problem. You can change a child’s behaviour but not an adult. So what can the community do?

The right kind of support group - We have support group for alcoholics and drug abuser, why not for homosexuals? It may be highly controversial in the US or UK but Malaysia is a sovereign and independent country.

Take for example the support group for alcoholics, have you ever heard any of these groups say :

- Drink all you want, it is your right. Do not change but be proud that you are an alcoholic.

OR

- You alcoholics are evildoers! You will be burn in hell and the alcohol you drink will be the gasoline that will burn you.

FYI, they don't say either. Same goes to support group for drug abuser. In the support group, they will help one another to get rid of their vices because changing behaviour is hard but it is possible!

8. Yes, there are individuals who go into rehab every 3-4 months without any success but you will never find anyone of a sane mind that will say "Just be who you are (drug abuser) and be proud of it!". I believe this is the right cure for our country in dealing with behavioural disease like homosexuality. I believe if this was the intention of the organiser of Seksualiti Merdeka, majority of Malaysian will support it.

9. To each its own. What works in country X may not work in country D. We have to come out with our own solution for our problem.

Salam from,

Fatimah Zuhri