By JASON LIM

Calling all the bigfoots, monkeys and also the truly berhormats (honourable). I’d like you to bring something up in parliament. Without much ado, a rag-tag outfit of Malaysian artistes pulled off yet another controversy.

Looks like they’ve hit the internet again. Looks like they’ve mixed up our national language amidst other languages again. Looks like they’ve aped the west again. Looks like they’ve gone ahead and done something totally independent of government support or intervention. How dare they? It wasn’t even done in conjunction with the 50th Merdeka celebrations!

I mean, I thought we’d already seen the terrible things artistes would achieve with the internet and political musical content (re: Namewee’s Negarakuku). Now we have something that flies right in the face of all that. Such cheek!

Goodness. What’s this new thing about ending racial discrimination and even more shocking … Click here for the full article!

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Art by CHUAN ZUI
By KEITH LEONG

I am aware that I, like many of the writers for theCICAK have issued manifestos and carpe diem calls for the youth of Malaysia to be more socially aware and conscious. It is eternally in vogue for people of our age to write such articles, we will not be the first nor shall we be the last. A common criticism made again such polemics, however, is the accusation that we do not provide a practical model for young Malaysians to affect genuine socio-political change/progress in our country.

This therefore, is a very basic list of things that I consider us twenty-something’s can do to be citizens:

1. Register to vote:
An essential part of citizenship. All you have to do is to drop by your local state election or post office with your MyKad and fill out the requisite form. You can also … Click here for the full article!

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Photo by CHUA SUE ANN

By VINCENT LAU

Let’s not kid ourselves, OK? The Bersih rally - peaceful or not, was not about a call for real democracy or handing over a memorandum to the king. A rally could have been held in a stadium where like-minded people could have gone and stayed out of everybody else’s way. And if they really wanted to hand over a memorandum to the king, I am sure the opposition leaders could have done it themselves, behind closed doors. They didn’t have to hype up the event.

Quite simply, the protest was nothing more than a demonstration of power. They are telling the present government that they have the support of the people. They are telling the people that the present government is doing something really wrong and that they are our saviours … Click here for the full article!

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EDITOR’S NOTE:

Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz said the use of water cannons and tear gas at the Bersih rally is not considered a use of force.

Khairy Jamaluddin, deputy UMNO Youth leader, said Bersih protesters do not represent the political consciousness of the Malaysian public.

Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, human rights lawyer, said the Official Secrets Act and the Internal Security Act prohibits fair distribution of information that will create more informed voters.

What do you think? … Click here for the full article!

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By RACHEL LEOW

What follows is a transcript of the telephone interview that Malaysia’s Minister of Information Zainuddin Maidin (ZAM) gave Al-Jazeera yesterday, moments after the Bersih memo was delivered to the Royal Palace at the close of the biggest anti-government protest in Malaysia in ten years.

ZAM: ….I commend your journalists trying to project, to exaggerate more than what actually happened. That, that, that, that’s it. We, we are not, the, the — and I, I congratulate your journalists behaving like an actor, that, that’s —

AJ: As you say that, sir, we’re watching scenes of protesters being sprayed by chemical-filled water … Click here for the full article!

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Parti Keadilan Rakyat Information Chief Tian Chua getting caught in the clashes near Pasar Seni.

Article and photos by CHUA SUE ANN

Nov. 10 will probably go down in Malaysian history as one of the greatest show of people power.

Thousands took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur yesterday to show support for electoral reform in this country.

There were different reports on the number of protesters at the rally. Bersih and Malaysiakini reported 40,000 individuals, and the police estimated the figure to be 4,000 to 8,000.

Bersih is a coalition of almost 70 civil society groups and opposition political parties.

Bersih protesters marching to Istana Negara.

They planned this public gathering and drew up a memorandum to … Click here for the full article!

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By FAHMI REZA

Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka from fahmi reza on Vimeo.

EDITOR’S NOTE: We have published the English translation below. theCICAK would like to encourage intelligent debate and discussion on Fahmi Reza’s latest documentary. Please post your thoughts beneath this post.

Filem dokumentari Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka ini menceritakan tentang satu peristiwa tersembunyi dalam sejarah perjuangan kemerdekaan rakyat, di mana seluruh Malaya telah menyaksikan tindakan politik pertama yang melibatkan penyatuan rakyat pelbagai kaum - Hartal Seluruh Malaya pada 20 Oktober 1947.

Filem ini cuba untuk mengetengahkan satu naratif alternatif kepada “naratif rasmi” sejarah perjuangan kemerdekaan negara kita yang dimonopoli secara ekslusif oleh kepimpinan elit UMNO. Filem ini boleh dilihat sebagai satu proses “recovery of historical memory” dengan … Click here for the full article!

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AZMI SHAROM’S response to Katherine’s post:

Dear Ms. Koh,

Hi. Thanks for writing. Actually, what you said are my thoughts exactly. I was being sarcastic in the article. I am sorry I if you thought I was being earnest!

I’ve been writing for the Star for about a year and a half now and I guess I take it for granted that people read my stuff on a fairly regular basis and have come to know that i can be quite a sarcastic little creature.

I got some flak about this earlier article too because some one thought I was being hypocritical in criticising long haired people when i have long hair myself!

Anyway, all the best to you.

Azmi

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By KATHERINE KOH

Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor - Photo from The Star

Dear Azmi Sharom,

In response to your article “Wah! We are now a space power” in The Star on Thursday, 18 October 2007, I must ask, how much were you paid to write all this propaganda?

It must be pretty lucrative because you were extolling the benefits that we Malaysians would gain as a direct result of the Angkasawan project. There was no weigh-in of the pros and the cons of the programme, but just your views on how good this programme is. Perhaps your training as a lawyer has just taught you to argue your points one-sided?

Firstly, I agree that the spaceman programme is an inspiration to many children in Malaysia. We are allowing them hope and imagination, and surely there is nothing more important than … Click here for the full article!

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