Bar Council debate marred by rowdy crowd and police found firebomb.

T. Kok’s home firebombed.

Bar Council (former) president’s former residence firebombed.

DAP Perak HQ firebombed.

Bala’s legal counsel’s home firebombed.

Churches firebombed.

Ahhh … yer got my drift oredi.

Wanna add more to this list?

Courtesy of Mob1900.

When the BN government acts irresponsibly, irresponsible people will rise up to the call.

Update: 1500HRS 08/01/10

Wanna be a responsible Malaysian who cares for this nation, then go over to Doc Rafick’s and do your part.

And some of you readers thought I was referring to the uber numero uno football team in the entire universe, Manchester United, eh?

Meet Marina Undau.

She’s a Sarawakian bumiputeri of Iban-Chinese parentage who finally got her scholarship to enter a university.

Read her full story here and an earlier article here.

Sooo .. will the peninsula bumiputra/i melayuputra/i umnoputra/i throw an infantile tantrum, just as in the ‘Allah’ issue, and go down onto the streets to demonstrate in an UMNO Baru-led BN sanctioned demonstration?

Damn if they do, double damn if they don’t.

Suffice to say, “Life sux. Deal with it like the rest of us“.

About …

“Kami menyokong penggunaan nama ALLAH oleh semua rakyat Malaysia“.

I’ve joined. Will you?

P.S. This FB group brought around 6000 Malaysians of all colours together within the first 24 hours!

RMAF sergeant, director charged with jet engines theft

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 6 — Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Sgt N. Tharmendran and company director Rajandran Prasad were today charged in the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court today in connection with the missing two F-5E jet engines amid cynicism that the government has covered up the scandalous theft.

Rajandran, 37, was charged with disposing of the engines while Tharmendran, 42, was charged with stealing the engines. Bail for the two was set at RM150,000. The case has been fixed for mention on Feb 11.

Police had earlier said four men, three of them rank-and-file RMAF airmen, were the only ones involved in the 2007 theft of two General Electric J85-21A turbojet engines, said to be worth RM100 million, much to the chagrin of many that the scale of the crime suggests higher-ups were involved.

The RMAF had earlier denied that a brigadier-general and 40 others sacked for incompetence were involved in the crime.

According to the charge sheet, Tharmendran, who is still serving in the air force, had conspired with senior airman Mohamad Shukri Mohamad Yusop at the RMAF base Subang Jaya to steal the engines from the Material Procession Shed at RMAF Base in Sungai Besi on Dec 2007.

If found guilt he faces imprisonment of up to 10 years and fine. Mohamad Shukri was not charged.

Rajandran was charged with intentionally disposing of the engines which he knew were stolen on April 30, 2008 at the Subang Industrial Park. He faces a maximum of seven years imprisonment and fine.

~~~~~

Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail said last night the RMAF airman would be charged for stealing while the company director for disposing of stolen properties.

“Investigations revealed that both F-5E jet engines were removed from the Material Udara 1 (Matra 1) godown in Kuala Lumpur as a result of a collaboration between an RMAF personnel with the rank of sergeant and a company director to dispose off both jet engines,” he said in a statement issued via Bernama.

He said based on information from witnesses and documents obtained, he ordered the duo to be charged.

The sergeant will be charged under section 380 of the Penal Code to be read with section 109 of the same code, while the company director, under section 414 of the code.

The jets engines were found missing in 2007 while being taken for a routine maintenance from the 12th Squadron (Scorpion) in Butterworth to the RMAF godown in Kuala Lumpur.

The jet engines were discovered stolen by RMAF on May 22, 2008 and a police report was lodged on Aug 4 the same year.

But like the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal where four executives were charged for criminal breach of trust (CBT), prosecuting the airmen and company director will not abate calls for further investigations into how the jet engines ended up in South America.

Gani had said the engines powering the ageing F-5Es are now in Uruguay after police said it went through a Middle East nation to Argentina.

They have said that Malaysia will seek international cooperation to recover the engines.

But opposition leaders are asking for a royal commission of inquiry into the theft that happened when Datuk Seri Najib Razak was the defence minister.

Now prime minister, Najib has promised that there will be no cover-up but many are left pondering his words with just a serviceman and an aviation services firm director in the dock.

Read the full TMI report here.

—00000—

Points to consider:

a) Why wasn’t the senior airman, Mohamad Shukri, similarly charged if evidence of conspiring (abetment) exist for Tharmendran? Has Mohamad Shukri turned state witness for the prosecution and ’spill the beans’ on the alleged perpetrators? If so, was the same option offered to Tharmendran? If not, why not?

b) For the two jet engines to be delivered for repairs/maintenance outside the confines of a military base,  a senior ranking officer must have given the order and the base security personnel would have been alerted. Logistically, it is impossible to transport the engines without it being noticed because of its size and more importantly, without the relevant ‘approved’ paperwork.

c) Therefore, was Tharmendran assigned the job to deliver the engines? If so, his name would appear on the relevant documents. The real culprit would not implicate him/herself by doing so.

d) I believe Airod does all the MRO (maintenance/repair/overhaul) works for the RMAF. They have the necessary expertise and equipment to handle the job (read here) which include the Northtrop F5 as well as the General Electric J85-21 propulsion system. Replacement parts could be brought in from the U.S. (subject to Mindef request) and installed at the Airod service centre (in Subang).

e) Was Rajandran an Airod employee? If so, his name will also appear on the relevant documents. And again, the real felon would not be.

f) Airod is an established name with an accomplished credibility in this region for aeronautics and therefore, would be a familiar name to RMAF personnel. As long as the relevant documents are in order, the engine delivery will pass muster. However, knowing this, the actual perpetrators may use ‘Airod’ as an unknowing conduit for their plans to hijack the engines i.e. while the paperwork (and intended destination) are above board, the physical delivery may have been diverted to another location as soon as the engines gets pass security.

g) Earlier, it has been reported officially via the MSMs that the engines were sent overseas for repairs. Why? Airod should have been the obvious choice for a number of reasons i.e. cost-benefit, security, familiarity and expertise (with a 30 year old technology), etc. Was this information ‘leaked’ to fit the ’shipping’ stories of Argentina and Uruguay? Both countries do not operate F5s in their air force and I doubt they wish to start with just two engines. Meanwhile, Iran keeps popping up whenever F5s are discussed but they have developed the variant ‘Saegheh‘ (Thunder) in 2006 with newer aerodynamics equaling the F18s.

h) Lastly, how do ‘Thieving Traitors’ move heavy military hardware without raising any suspicion? How about doing it when LIMA is ongoing? It takes care of ALL the security concerns/obstacles that TTs has to address and right under the noses of the authorities including Mindef, the Home ministry and Customs. But it certainly goes beyond the capabilities of a sergeant!

Sooo .. the Attorney-General must be kidding if he thinks Malaysians are a gullible lot.

Let’s see if RPK can shed more light on Enginegate.

Dompok says widespread BM usage pushed christian use of ‘Allah’

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 5 – A senior Christian member of the Cabinet, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, said Sabah adherents call God “Allah” because the younger generation are more comfortable using Bahasa Malaysia as Muslims remain outraged over a ruling that allows Catholic weekly Herald to use the term.

He also noted the term had been used for a long time, even before Sabah decided to form Malaysia with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore in 1963.

“The Sabah communities have always used Bahasa Melayu as it is the regional lingua franca and Christianity has been in Sabah since 1881,” the Plantations Industry and Commodities minister said in a statement today.

High Court judge Datuk Lau Bee Lan’s judgment allowing the Herald to use “Allah” has met with conditional support from PAS but anger and protests from Umno members.

The government has appealed against the decision and filed for a stay of execution.

Dompok said the Dec 31 ruling resulted in various comments, with half of them “not helpful to efforts to strengthen unity and relations among the races in the country”.

“I believe Justice Datuk Lau Bee Lan has examined every historical aspect and constitutional rights before making the decision,” the Penampang MP added.

He noted that the Christian Bumiputra community in Sabah, like the Murut and Kadazandusun, perform religious rites in three languages – English, Bahasa Melayu and their mother tongue.

“In the rites where English is used, the term is God while the rites in Bahasa Melayu is Allah and the one in the mother tongue, like Kadazandusun, is ‘Kinoingan’,” Dompok said.

He also said most churches in the cities use English while Bahasa Melayu is used widely in churches in rural areas in Sabah.

“Making Bahasa Melayu the national language and the medium of instruction in the education system have expanded the language’s influence among the Sabah communities.

“The generation born after this policy was made are more comfortable using Bahasa Melayu. They are also more comfortable attending religious service in the national language,” he said.

Dompok said the younger generation in the Christian Bumiputra community from Sabah who have migrated to the peninsula to work or for further studies have also asked church authorities to have services in the national language.

The Upko president said everyone must have the freedom to fulfil their religious duties in a peaceful manner and using the language and terms they are comfortable with for their rites.

—00000—

Poetic justice, ain’t it.

Proponents of Ketuanan Melayu (particularly from the SSUS tribe – Sorry no links but I’ll drop a hint i.e. Kijang Mas, who share the same first letters) demand that their proposal for single language (BM) schools be accepted as fait accompli by Malaysians of other ethnic background and as a result, God’s name got dragged into the rantings of 70k plus Facebookers . Jamil Khir Baharom’s advice is clearly falling on deaf ears.

What’s next? Make it compulsory for East Malaysian christian bumis to wear the malay attire during Sunday church mass?

Or perhaps, “Allah tahu saya Kristian” should be the bumper sticker for 2010.

A rally is being organised on Friday 8th January. Let’s see how many will actually turn up. Plus will it be a purely malay muslim crowd with Ridhuan Tee being the ‘iconic’ representative for the chinese muslim community?

But will the PDRM grant the necessary police permits or will it be like the Shah Alam cowhead debacle whereby the PDRM will standby and just be observers?

Meanwhile, the Home ministry might yet get the High Court decision overturned at the COA through its appeal filed yesterday. And an ‘ultra-quick’ stay of appeal will be filed tomorrow to ensure ‘bruised’ sensitivities will fester further.

Thereafter, will the UMNO Baru led BN administration lose their ‘fixed deposits’ in Sabah and Sarawak during GE13 whilst trying to corral malay support in the Peninsular?

Yup, NTR’s strategic ambiguity of 1Malaysia is as misplaced as the whereabouts of the two F5 jet engines.

Update: 2200Hr 6/01/10

Homey sez ok to homies – Home ministry to allow protests against ‘Allah’ ruling

Excerpt - “As long as it does not affect national security, we will not stop it yet. We plan to get closer to the would-be demonstrators and try to talk to them first.”

Is the Home minister deliberately acquiescing to UMNO Baru red-necks brown-necks just as he did with the Shah Alam cowhead-carriers?

Hmmm .. be careful what you wish for, Hishammuddin.

The Net may have pretty ugly images before the day is over.

This truly is a BTN classic.

A taxpayer called up the LHDN (Inland Revenue Board) and asked for Form B.

The LHDN clerk who answered the call asked for the address to send the form to.

The conversation goes.…

• LHDN CLERK: Boleh bagi alamat encik? (Can you give me your address?)
• TAXPAYER: Ok, hantar ke Ranhill. (Ok, send to Ranhill)
• LHDN CLERK: Apa? Ranhill?……. eja macam mana? (What? Ranhill?… how to spell?)
• TAXPAYER: R… untuk Rumah (House)… A .. Ayam (Chicken)… N .. Nangka (Jackfruit)… H .. Holland (err .. Holland) …. I .. Itik (Duck)… L untuk lain- lain (Others)…..’
• LHDN CLERK: Ok.. Nanti kami hantar ke alamat itu (Ok, we will send to that address)

After waiting for a week, the form arrived.

Have a look at the address on the envelope!!!

—00000—

Certain details have been deleted to protect the TAXPAYER.

I’m just wondering if the postman smiled the entire day when delivering it.

Coz ‘Lari-Bukit’ could have got him stumped!

Media Statement and Invitation (by SayaAnakBangsaMalaysia)

Malaysians have strong opinions and they are certainly not afraid to express them.

The local Internet community is abuzz lately with academic Dr Ridhuan Tee’s contentious statements in his article “Accused as criminals is better than being evil” which appeared in both his Mingguan Malaysia column and his blog on December 27th, 2009.

Responses from the Internet community have been varied. Some are firmly in support of Dr Tee’s assertions while others have slammed him for his views.

On Monday, lawyer Art Harun heightened ongoing arguments with a rebuttal – “An open reply to Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah” on his blog.

As a non-partisan people’s initiative, Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia wishes to invite Dr Tee and Art Harun to an open debate. The aim is to encourage a spirit of sober and reasoned discussion on the subject in contention as well as to open up public space for diverse views to be expressed.

SABM proposes to hold the debate at a suitable venue and at a time appropriate for both writers and hopes they will agree to participate in what promises to be an exciting event.

For more details, kindly contact Hasbeemasputra Abu Bakar at Rumah Anak Bangsa Malaysia at +603-2095 0435/017-332 5424.

NST report here.

To Ahmad Maslan – You oaf. Of course, it’s not sabotage.

Perhaps, it’s divine intervention for being sloth-ish.

Hark! Do I hear the desperate pleas of project-deprived class F signage contractors screaming away outside PWTC?

In War: Resolution.

In Defeat: Defiance.

In Victory: Magnanimity.

In Peace: Good Will.

- Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill

The sum total of all news, read with a discerning eye, shall reveal the truth.

- O.B.E.

A truer truth. Too much reading maketh da hot chick go away. Far, far away.

- O.B.E.’s alter ego

I see dead politicians.

- O.B.E.’s directorial debut for an inspirational documentary entitled “I see dead politicians”

The future’s so bleak, I gotta plant seeds of humanity.

- O.B.E.’s SABM pledge

Yer gonna be late for the Wharf’s 16th anniversary celebrations tonight!

- O.B.E.’s Nokia E63 message reminder