Nostalgic Weekend - The [Little] Falcons

In 1964, four 12-year olds burst into the local scene with their debut release of "Mayflower". These four boys were from St John's Institution, calling themselves "The Little Falcons" [which later was changed to "The Falcons"]. The group comprised of Brian Felix [lead], Francis Samuel [rhythm], Jerry Ventura [bass] and Jerry Felix [drums]. The group had its beginnings in the Jalan Peel area [near the SM Jalan Cochrane] and the writer used to drop by at one of the boy's home to watch them doing their weekend practices. The first recording was on a private label but later, they moved on to an international label, "Columbia", under EMI. What I remembered most about this group is that they were extremely talented and even though I had my own group then, I still feel we were not at par with them despite our age differences. As a matter of fact, the boys were coached by none other than one of country's greatest Hawaiian slide guitarists, Victor Felix, Brian's father.

The group broke new ground when they were contracted to play in Germany in the early seventies. By then Brian has left the group, emigrated to Australia with his family.

The one thing that have left a lasting impression in me about the group is that they were the first to use the Burns guitar which was then very much in use by The Shadows in UK.

For more on Jerry Felix and The Falcons, please click here.

Are the non-Malays the true "pendatang"?

This is a piece of article written by Dr Lee Ong Kim, Associate Professor and Head of Policy and Leadership Studies, National Institute of Education, Singapore.

A small piece of History for our future generation. Why Kota Gelanggi (lost city) touted as earliest civilization in Malay Peninsula news were banned as they were Buddhist.

The Johor find of 2005 which was quietly dropped was none other than Kota Gelanggi lost city reflecting Srivijaya and its Buddhist splendour. But they deliberately disregarded it because that would have sidelined Malacca Empire and Islam which was smaller and came some 500 years later. I met Dr Lee Kam Hing, a former History prof at MU in Singapore recently at a seminar. Dr Lee, who is now Star research director, told me he was trying his best to highlight Kota Gelanggi, but that the government killed it off. This is clearly another case to cover up the real history of Malaya and fool the younger generations into believing that our history only began from Malacca 1400. Not only that, they tried to show Parameswara as Malay and Muslim, but actually he was Hindu! If one were to condemn these UMNO scumbags on how they distort history, it will never end......the condemnations will more than cover 10 PhD thesis!

A small piece of History for our future generation Hitler's public relations manager, Goebbels, once said, 'If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth.'

Once again our government wiped out any references to a famous Melaka prince as being Hindu and belonging to the powerful Hindu empire Sri Vijaya. So all of a sudden our museums, school text-books etc. all refer to Parameswara as a Malay prince.

What race ruled or did not rule is besides the point. What is important is not butchering history to create your own truths. You cannot change your race even if you convert - Parameswara could have been responsible for Umno's proud heritage of ' Ketuanan Melayu '.

If this is what it is based on, there is no ' Ketuanan Melayu '. The lineage of Melaka Sultans are Indians, not Malays. It is no secret that Parameswara was an Indian and a Hindu prince.

It is clear from records that Parameswara never converted to Islam. He was an Indian Hindu who fled Palembang in Sumatra to eventually found Melaka circa 1400 AD. It was Sri Maharaja who converted himself and the court of Melaka to Islam, and as a result took on the name of Sultan Muhammad Shah sometime after 1435.

The most famous of Indian Hindu Kings were Raja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola who invaded Southern Thailand, Kedah, Perak, Johor and Sumatra about 1000 AD. This is Raja-raja Chola - the Indian/Hindu kings and not Raja Chulan - a Malay king. But what is really sad is that our children are taught as though Malaysian history suddenly began in 1400 with an Islamic Melaka.

We are led to believe that the Indians and Chinese first arrived on the shores of Malaysia in about 1850 as desperate indentured labourers, farmers and miners . Nothing could be further from the truth.

The cultural influences of India in particular, and China, in South East Asia span over 2,000 years, starting with the arrival from India of the Brahmanical prince/scholar - Aji Saka in Java in AD78, through to Vietnam, Cambodia (Indo China), Thailand,Burma, Indonesia, Bali, Borneo, Brunei and beyond.

The findings at Bujang Valley speak of an ancient Indian/Hindu presence in Kedah. There were Chinese settlements in Pahang and Kelantan around the 13th-14th century and in 12th century in Singapore .

The early Brunei Sultanate had a Chinese Queen. One need not ponder at length the implications of Angkor Wat and Borobudur or that 40%-50% of Bahasa Malaysia comprises Sanskrit/Tamil words. To illustrate, some of these word are :

bumi = boomi
putra = putran
raja = rajah
desa = thesam
syakti = sakthi
kolam = kulam
bahaya = abahya
jaya = jeya
maha = maha
aneka = aneha
nadi = naadi
kedai = kadai
mahligai = maaligai
mantra = manthrum
tandas = sandas
(This list can go on)

An extremely important archeological find that pointed to one of the greatest empires in history - the Raja Chola empire that ruled from the Maldives through India , Sri Lanka and right down to South East Asia found deep in the jungles of Johor a few years ago and made headlines in the mainstream newspapers in 2005, suddenly disappeared from the news…..

The time has arrived for us to record our history as the facts tell us and not as we would like to wish it.

The truth will never hurt anyone. Lies, always will .

Meet Faekah Husin, the new political secretary to Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim

Refuting rumours that she was a crony of Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim during his Guthrie days, his new political secretary Faekah Husin says she had never even known her present boss during his time with the GLC.

“Yes, in 2001 I had applied to Guthrie for some business. But I was (initially) rejected. I then went to the management to negotiate, but I never met Khalid; (I met) someone else,” Faekah told Malaysiakini in an exclusive interview at her office on Wednesday.

In the end, she said, all that she received from Guthrie was a contract for legal work for some 60 units of houses, no more.

“Is it so easy for someone to be labelled a Khalid crony?” she asked, implying that the meagre business she got from Guthrie fell short of a lion's share a crony would be expected to get.

“I only knew him in 2005, that was when he started to get involved in politics. I was already in Keadilan then,” the former lawyer said.

Even then, Faekah said, she did not get her current job because she knew Khalid but because of her problem-solving skills acquired from more than 20 years' experience as a lawyer.

“He did not offer me (the post)... he appealed to me. If it was an offer, there (would be) considerations, but he needed someone to assist him in the administration. He said that it was my national service.”

Gave up a successful legal practice

And as part of her "national service", Faekah said that she had to give up her successful legal practice and forgo the comfortable life she had before, for the unlucrative salary of a civil servant.

Asked how she coped with the transition, she said she had her savings and several houses to her name that she could liquidate, having already sold off one of her two luxury cars.

“But money is not the object. Khalid himself could have made RM1.5 million a year working in the private sector, but he is here doing his national service, and I am doing mine,” she said, with a steady gaze.

Faekah described her role as more of an efficiency expert helping to solve problems in the state administration.

“This is what the public wants, to see their problems solved,” she stressed.

She related that most of her time now was devoted to ironing out wrinkles in the state's administration by working directly with the public and assisting them with their issues.

“An senior citizen would come to me with his problem with so and so. I will call the state official in question, explain the issue and look at what solutions can be found and get the official to assign an officer to help the person,” she explained.

Faekah said the job was a gruelling one with a punishing schedule, especially in keeping up with a workaholic like Khalid, who stayed up nights to think and read.

“He would call me in the wee hours and ask me a question or assign me to find out something. I will then have to call the relevant party to follow up on the matter.

“That is why I carry this book with me - this phone directory - everywhere I go so that I can get in touch with the state officers when I need to,” said Faekah, pointing to her faithful contacts list.

However, she sees no problem with her new job as she has been used to a similar pace while practising law.

“I don't even take long breaks during Raya, there's one day before for preparations and one day after for visits. I asked Khalid and he said it was the same (for him). I sometimes work until 10 at night,” she said.

Correcting perception

Faekah has no regret entering public office, for she sees her role as crucial in increasing the state government's efficiency and correcting the perception that there is a rift between the ruling Pakatan Rakyat and civil servants in the state.

“There is this perception in the party that the civil servants are sabotaging the state government. But now, I am also a civil servant. How can you say that I want to sabotage the party?”

“That is the message I want to send to the party,” she said.

The political secretary admitted that there were a few budak hitam(black sheep) causing problems in the civil service, but the rest were not guilty.

“We should focus on dealing with the (problematic) few, not accuse the civil servants en masse.

“Some of the civil servants too are tired of the old Barisan Nasional government and their antics. And I believe that without their help we would not have won in the last election,” she said.

Faekah believes the party must recognise this, and put a stop to the unfair blame-game on the civil service.

Gaining trust

Faekah sees it as her role to bridge the gap from the civil service side as she believes that many civil servants were wary of Pakatan due to constant accusations of sabotage.

“We need to show that we trust them as much as demonstrate that they can trust us. It is to be understood that they have been serving under the BN government for a long time.”

Therefore, her first task on the job was to visit all the senior civil servants to build or kindle rapport with them.

On one hand, Faekah said, she wanted to remind them that her authority emanated from the MB. On the other, she wants to earn their trust by showing them that like them, she is also a civil servant.

She stressed that party representatives appointed to state-owned companies should adopt the same attitude toward their roles.

“Their role must be to reform the state GLCs and not to enrich themselves,” said Faekah

Performance now, not popularity

In this respect she is highly favourable to divorcing the party from the state administration, pointing to the case of Khalid who had relinquished his duties as state PKR chief to Gombak MP Azmin Ali.

“This is true separation of powers, this is the way to go,” she declared.

Asked how Khalid could ensure he had the clout to be re-elected if he had no political influence, Faekah said she did not see any problem.

“That is not an issue. If the people see that Khalid is doing his job, they will vote him back in. If the people in Bandar Tun Razak and Ijok vote him in, you know that in their eyes, he has performed.”

Performance, she stressed, was more important than popularity.

[Source: Mkini]

Mariam Mokhtar's take on Namewee

If Namewee (Wee Meng Chee) is prosecuted for his music-video, then two mixed messages are being sent out by the government: The first is that the authorities practise double-standards. The second is that it was only because of Namewee's 'intervention' that the government sat up and took racism seriously.

On Wednesday, it was reported that the rapper was being investigated by the police for sedition. Various ministers and a menteri besar also want Namewee punished for his controversial video.

In the first place, Namewee made this clip because of the government's slow response to tackle effectively the latest racist incident. It appears that we are now united, against racism.

Far from being seditious or racist, Namewee has done the job of the government in exposing all that is 'ugly' about us.

Just over two weeks ago, the Johore school headmistress featured in Namewee's clip made serious, humiliating and crude remarks to non-Malay students in her school.

The prime minister, who coined the term 1Malaysia, took two weeks to make any comment regarding this issue. In the meantime, the damage became magnified.

Finally, Najib said that when it came to racism, he wanted 'zero-tolerance' and a 'swift response' to people who made racial slurs.

It appears that the prime minister has fallen at the first hurdle. There was not a quick, speedy response, as promised. It took him a very slow two weeks before issuing a statement.

For another, why has the police investigation been allowed to drag?

But let us imagine that for one moment, it was a non-Malay school head who had uttered derogatory remarks about her Malay pupils and told them to 'pergi balik bawah tempurung' (return to your place beneath your coconut shell) or that the tudung worn by the girls was only to cover-up their 'bad hair-do'.

Wisdom and tolerance

I need not mention how the Malay community, egged on by the Ketuanan Melayu clowns, would react by picketing, protesting and practically foaming at the mouth.

If anything, the Johore school incident proved that the non-Malay community has shown extreme restraint and should be commended for their wisdom and tolerance.

The shame is that few Malays voiced their objections to the disgusting remarks of the Malay school-heads (both in Johore and Kedah). Where are the voices of condemnation for these racist rants? Are they afraid of pilloried by members of their own community? Or have they no principles? And lack a conscience?

Namewee is reacting to the slow response of the government to tackle racism. Hence, it is the government who has failed the Malaysian public. It is Namewee who conveyed the important message to Malaysians, in an entertaining way via his Youtube clip, that 'racism sucks'.

To date, what is the progress into the school-head investigation? How long does it take to get eye-witness statements?

People forget that Namewee is a rapper. He produces videos and music videos. Rap music may glorify violence, misogyny, drug abuse and homophobia. Profanity and vulgar language are common.

Like it or not, rap or hip hop, is the language of the young these days. With rap, he has managed to engage with the young, to 'say 'no' to racism'. Any parent of a teenager will know what I am talking about. The songs teenagers listen to these days, often colour the air-waves blue.

One can only imagine Namewee's rage at the slow official response to tackle racism.

It is the same fury that overcomes us when we are lectured by our political masters to do, think and talk '1Malaysia' but then discover to our shock, that some ministers do not practise it.

Admittedly, Namewee is simply expressing his anger and frustration in creativity and music, just like Eminem or Jay-Z.

It is highly unlikely that our aging ministers will understand nor appreciate rap music.

Namewee is the perfect entertainer and has sound business acumen. Sometimes, to shock may even sell more records. He has gained increased publicity for himself being enterprising.

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin adopted a different spin on Namewee's questions: "You tak baca? Siapa buat Malaysia kaya?" (Don't you know? Who made Malaysia prosperous?). Khairy assumed that Namewee suggested the 'Malays played a minor role in Malaysia's economic growth'.

Khairy is possibly wrong and as far as can be ascertained, Namewee wasn't alluding to anything.

Namewee posed an open-ended question. However, political personalities are already scoring brownie points by insinuating various things.

Namewee was wrong to be abusive – even I would balk short at such behaviour. But Namewee speaks for all those who suffered that day in school and for the people in Malaysia who care.

Maybe if the authorities had been swift in their response, Namewee would not have had the reason to come up with this clip.

The more potent danger

Actually, Namewee has done the job of the government much better that the government itself. It has given prominence to racism issues in a creative way and made us take a stand against racism. If not for his Youtube, clip, would we have taken as much attention? The problem is that the authorities have 'lost it'.

When Dr Chua Soi Lek criticised Namewee and said, "Freedom of expression should come with responsibility to consider sensitivities towards other races and religions", he forgot that it was the two school principals who ignored sensitivities and caused a furore.

And instead of the school principals being censured, it is Namewee who is allegedly being charged with sedition. Namewee's clip was crude and coarse, but not racist.

This young disgruntled Malaysia's response to racism has been blown into something of a racial firestorm. That is the more potent danger.

It seems that when you scratch beneath the surface, 1Malaysia is unraveling faster than a knitted jumper. One person condemns an irresponsible racist head, and the so called defenders of the race, react like beasts unleashed, and all for the wrong reasons.

Namewee has talent. He engages with the young via his rap music and lyrics. He should be nominated for a role in the Ministry for Information, Communications, Cul ture and Arts, to promote racial unity and other Malaysian issues.

Far from creating disharmony, Namewee has united us against racism. He at least has the courage to tackle racism in his own entertaining way.

[Source: MM]

Ibrahim Ali, the empty barrel ....

Ibrahim Ali apparently has made a statement stating that he is not about to have a debate with Nurul Izzah Anwar on the question of Malay rights. It's already in the constitution, he apparently has said, so, wherefore the need for any debate?

This curt dismissal should largely be ignored, not only the statement, but its originator Ibrahim Ali himself. I was tempted to if not for the fact that this guy is the head of Perkasa, the institution that has sworn to protect Malay rights. I can see that whatever he says might have great impact on the welfare of the country in the short and long term. I have to register my concern.

My worry against him is not the question of Malay rights per se, although I have my views on this.

The issue to me is that anybody can claim he is sincere and committed to any principle or philosophy he holds dear. This being so he should be responsible for it, be able to account for his commitment and be willing to share it with the community at large. Then people will say, yes he has sincerity and commitment, now let's see whether we can support him on this issue.

But sincerity and commitment are subject to test. So if Ibrahim (right) truly believes in the correctness of Malay rights, come on then, defend your stand. Go meet with Nurul and fight it out.

If you really have the commitment and solid rationale over this issue, be accountable and be responsible with it. This is the only honourable and moral thing to do.

But no, Ibrahim Ali did nothing honourable or moral. Instead he runs behind something vague like 'the constitution says so.'

This shows he has no courage of his convictions. He has been shooting his mouth around, yet when one young person tells him "Hey, instead of shooting around, why don't we talk and see what's your grouse about?" he stops in his tracks, and says, "Because the sheriff says so".

In this one fell swoop he has shown no sincerity, accountability, responsibility, honour, decency and commitment to the cause. His integrity, in short, is short. He is an uncouth, spineless, unprincipled individual. He can easily be manipulated by people (his sheriff) who have the motive to use or abuse his questionable mouth-shooting skills; people who have might, and think that they are right all the time.

Consequences of closing the mind

On a more philosophical level, I worry in another sense. There is a case in Islamic history when the prestige and power of Islamic civilisation was at its peak. This was at around the early centuries of the first millennia.

The Islamic Empire was at its widest, which history books tell was bigger than the Roman Empire. Arabic was the common lingua franca. Internally all Islamic jurisprudence had been codified by the four Imams Hanafi, Hambali, Maliki and Shafie and later 'refreshed' by Imam Ghazali.

If securing knowledge is like a race then the Islamic scholars had reached the finishing line first and been declared the winners. If it was a mountain then its top has been conquered. The Muslim mind had the perception that it had conquered its conceptual Mount Everest. The Islamic world was in euphoria.

Comfortable with this perception and completely on its own volition the Islamic civilisation closed the doors to Ijtihad, or discourses, sometime after the demise of Al-Ghazzali (d. 1111). Since then the Islamic world had refused to be involved in any intellectual development and advancement.

This show of supreme achievement has an unfortunate consequence. It's easy to talk with hindsight, of course, but even as a layman I would argue without fear that this has been a disastrous and a suicidal philosophy.

After the point when Islam closed the doors of Ijtihad, two features in human history developed.

Firstly, that man's intellectual, material and secular development expanded by leaps and bounds. The level of human knowledge exploded with the advent of the scientific revolution starting in the fifteenth century, the Industrial Revolution and the modern world.

The knowledge explosion accelerated as the years went by so much so that in our post-modern world philosophers contend that the level of human knowledge doubles every eight to ten years.

Secondly, perhaps due to the self-imposed non-involvement the Islamic civilisation was still basking in the glamour of its past. It has little or no contribution in mankind's march forward.

In a minute, mini scale, Ibrahim Ali seems still behind the closed doors ofIjtihad. This sorry situation could be the real reason why he dare not take up Nurul Izzah's (left) challenge - he has nothing with which to defend himself.

[Source: AB Sulaiman/Mkini]

PAS' empathy for Namewee

The PAS Youth wing slightly differed in its response to the controversy surrounding a YouTube video clip posted by young songwriter Wee Meng Chee, better known as Namewee (right).

Its chief Nasruddin Hassan Tantawi described Namewee as a victim of racial provocation although he may have gone overboard with his racist remarks.

“Namewee is against racism and has become a victim of racial provocation in the country.

"But he went to the extreme to voice out his restless mind,” twitted Nasrudin in response to the latest controversy surrounding a video clip on YouTube which attracted condemnations over its racist tone.

Namewee's video was apparently a response to the lack of action by the government over school principal Siti Inshah Mansor’s racist jibe which had likened Chinese to migrants who should "return to China” and the Indian prayer beads to "dog leashes".

In his short clip, Wee delivered a rap version of his dissatisfaction, complete with vulgarities and obscenities slamming the principal.

The YouTube clip was taken off following an outcry from UMNO and other Barisan Nasional leaders who called for the young artist's arrest for sedition. The call also received backing from MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek, who told Namewee to “face the music” for offending other races.

UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin in a statement yesterday took offense at one part of the song's lyric, in which Namewee hinted that Malaysian Chinese had been solely responsible for the country's development.

Nasrudin (left) however said Namewee would not have produced such an offending video had the government acted swiftly against Siti Inshah's racist outburst.

“Namewee’s video is kurang ajar (uncouth), but I think the video would not have been out if swift actions had been taken against Siti Inshah and without racial provocation,” said Nasruddin.

Namewee had since denied that he was racist, even saying that he personified the prime minister's 1Malaysia slogan when he was called to the police station two days ago.

Namewee is not new to controversy. He first rose to fame when he mocked the Negaraku, in a music video called "Negarakuku" which decries the state of affairs in the country, prompting an outcry from UMNO leaders.

Chua Soi Lek, how can an immoral person like you talk about morality?

The writing is on the wall for MCA president Chua Soi Lek and if party members are smart, they will call another of their famous EGMs and throw him out before he does more damage to their party and the Chinese community, pundits said.

Soi Lek drew unprecedented anger from the community when on Sunday he made another major gaffe by calling popular rapper Namewee vulgar and irresponsible. The torrent of rage that flooded back would have necessitated an immediate apology in many democracies but in Malaysia, where MCA has to toe the political line set by coalition boss Umno, Soi Lek is expected to get off the hook.

DPM Muhyiddin Yassin

In fact many believe he was “under orders” to help Umno – especially the hawks led by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and former premier Mahathir Mohamad - rally Malay support against the political opposition, in particular the Islamic-based PAS.

But in their haste to chase for fading Malay popularity, the group has also stomped on Prime Minister Najib Razak’s multiracial 1Malaysia plan, underscoring the crossroad that the nation has reached and the crucial direction it must now select.

“After 53 years of independence (from British rule) and nation-building, we still have people who propagate racism. It shows there is still fertile ground in Umno where racism is flourishing,” PKR vice president Lee Boon Chye told Malaysia Chronicle.

PKR vice president Lee Boon Chye

“If Umno continues to rule Malaysia, this is the path of destruction that the nation will be pushed into. Malaysians must make a stand – is this the sort of leadership they want? Is a closed-door racist Malaysia the sort of country they want to live in because this is what will happen? Malaysia will be shunned by the world as an apartheid nation if it doesn’t come to its senses and stop the rot.”

A coward and a hypocrite

Namewee, whose full name is Wee Meng Chee, had lambasted a school principal Siti Inshah for hurling racist remarks at her non-Malay pupils. She had allegedly told the Chinese students to return to China and likened the Indian ones to dogs. Siti Inshah was not the only one, her colleague in Kedah was also said to have made similarly racist remarks a few days after her.

http://namewee.blogspot.com/

However, Namewee’s tape which contained the foul language of his generation of rap musicians drew the attention of a 'hungry' Umno leadership. With the help of their media, Namewee's tape was sensationalized and he was hauled up by the police to have his statement recorded on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Umno has been careful not to act against the two school principals, both of whom are Malay. The predominantly Malay teaching community is one of the party’s traditional electorate and Umno leaders do not want to offend it.

“Vulgar not, it is pop music and a lot of it is subjective. Many parents may not like and it should be considered X-rated or PG material but it is not seditious. Now, that is political. Why should the state take such heavy-handed action against Namewee and what is the reason for the double-standards in not going after the principals,” Batu MP Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

Tian Chua

“As for Chua Soi lek, it shows him to be the coward and hypocrite that he is. He dare not stand up for Namewee or insist on action to be taken against the racist headmistresses. He also doesn’t dare speak up against the Umno warlords or antagonize Muhyiddin and Mahathir. His own political survival is at stake and like the MCA presidents before him, he has resorted to pleasing the Umno bosses to keep his hold on power even though he is sacrificing the Chinese community in the process.

Angry outburst

Chua at the height of his sex scandal

Indeed, the comments that have flooded cyberspace do call for an immediate evaluation of the embattled Soi Lek's tenure as head of the Malaysian Chinese Association. His sex scandal has flared up again amid renewed criticism that his immorality made him an suitable critic for Namewee. Some of the comments that typified the anger that he roused include:

- Some1 featured in a porno video pontificating about some1 else supposedly "vulgar" in another!

- Mr Chua Soi Lek, you have just condemned MCA into "Make Chinese Angry". Well done. No wonder your rating is going down and down.

- In news report on TV tonight; you mentioned Namewee is 'un-cultured' for using vulgar words.....
I want to ask you this; how do you define 'un-cultured'?

- Is it some kind of a joke that CSL is trying to be a person with high morality? All i can say is he is trying too hard.

Which video clip is worse - Soi Lek's or Namewee's

Namewee aka Wee Meng Chee

In 2007, Soi Lek had to resign as Health Minister after a DVD showed him having sex with his mistress. The scenes of adultery were widely circulated around cyberspace and at one time, his foes in the BN government even considered prosecuting him for having unnatural sex with his female friend.

“Yes, nobody really wants to rake up the past. But when you try to hit someone else unfairly and just for selfish reasons, then vengeance will follow you. This is truly a case of the pot calling the kettle black,” said Boon Chye.

“Soi Lek has no moral standing to criticize Namewee. No matter how vulgar Namewee was in his expression, it cannot be worse than Soi Lek’s video. Just ask youselves, if our children listened to Namewee’s tape and then watched Soi Lek’s video, which one would be the greater negative influence.”

Namewee reports in at the TTDI police station

Controversial songwriter and film-maker Wee Meng Chee was questioned by the police for three hours tonight over his latest controversial video 'Nah!'

Reaching the Taman Tun Dr Ismail police station in Kuala Lumpur about 9.15pm this evening, the popular rapper (right, in green) - who goes by the name 'Namewee' - gave a brief press conference before heading into the police station to have his statement recorded.

Referring cheekily to the alleged suicide of the late DAP aide Teoh Beng Hock after being interrogated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Wee told reporters he wanted to make it clear that he was in no state of mind to kill himself.

"I am mentally healthy, I have no injury and I am not going to commit suicide," said Wee, who was accompanied by his lawyer Ravin Singh (above, in black).

Wee also said he believes he has done nothing wrong.

'I support 1Malaysia'

"I'm a film director, artist and musician, but it doesn't mean that if there is something wrong, I keep quiet.

"It doesn't mean I'm anti-Malaysia. I am against racism. And I support 1Malaysia. If I see racism, I'll say it out loud. I love my country," he said.

Ravin later told reporters that the police merely want to record his statement, not arrest the Muar-native Wee, who is now permanently based in Kuala Lumpur.

Coming out of the police station at 12.25am, Wee told reporters that the police officers with him merely listened to his side of the story and took his statement.

"I explained everything to them already, and I think everything is okay now. They just listened to me.

Asked whether he was warned at all against stirring up any more controversy, Wee answered in the negative: "They didn't give me any warning. They just took my statement. Everything seems fine."

Facing sedition

Late last night, 27-year-old Wee shocked his fans when he posted on his Facebook page: 'Three police cars have finally come to my Muar home to arrest me' just before midnight.'

'This happened 15 minutes before our 53rd National Day Celebration', the message continued ending in bold, capital letters with: 'This is
not a joke'.

'Yes, I'm still here but for how long more, I don't know ... my
beloved Malaysia, where is our justice system?" Wee lamented before the end.

At about 1am, Wee updated his message in Chinese stating: 'The police 15 minutes before the National Day countdown came to arrest me but I was not home, I knew I would be taken away at any time, this may be my last message...I wish you all a Happy National Day'.

The following day, the police denied that they had arrested the Taiwan-educated artiste and that they were pursuing him at all.

Rumours circulated today, however, that Namewee was about the 'surrender' to the police.

It was only late in the afternoon that he posted on his Facebook: "I will be making my way to TTDI (Taman Tun Dr Ismail) police station in Kuala Lumpur tonight at 8.45PM."

This followed calls by Umno leaders and government ministers for action to be taken against Wee for what they alleged were seditious remarks in 'Nah'.

The video, which has since been taken downhis blog, showcased a three-minute rap song in which Wee raged - in colourful, expletives-filled language - against incidences of racism in Malaysia.

He targetted, in particular, the school officials of two schools in Kedah and Johor who are alleged to have uttered racial slurs against non-Malay students.

Malay-daily Utusan Malaysia, Puteri Umno, Information Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim and MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek were among the more prominent BN leaders who have called for Wee to be investigated for sedition.

Where's the sedition?

Earlier today, however, DAP veteran politician Lim Kit Siang (right) questioned why the police were investigating Wee for sedition when there was nothing particularly seditious in his diatribe against the Kulai secondary school principal for making racist slurs against non-Malay students.

"Wee can be faulted for being crude, vulgar, abusive and even obscene," said the Ipoh Timor parliamentarian in a statement.

But none of the above warrant action being taken against Wee under the Sedition Act, he noted.

"Are the youth wings of Barisan Nasional parties, particularly from Umno, MCA, Gerakan and MIC and all the BN Ministers prepared to take a stand that Wee's latest video clip may be guilty of being crude, vulgar and abusive but definitely not sedition?" he asked.

[Source: Mkini]

How low can they go

For a moment one would think that these UMNO fellas would have taken a break on Malaysia Day to celebrate the occasion in peace, but no, they just have to continue picking a fight with the Opposition demonstrating their spite and spreading lies in ways which have gone beyond common decency.

Below [picture on left] is a doctored photo showing Lim Guan Eng slaughtering a cow infront of Muslims during a recent Hari Korban celebration when in actual fact, it was Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin performing the act.

The doctored photo was posted by one UMNO cybertrooper going by the moniker “PAS Beruk (monkey)” who designed and distributed it via the Internet.

Isn't this worse than Namewee's "Nah" video. So is anyone going to charge the person who posted this picture for sedition? How much more biasness are the authorities going to show before the roof cave in?

[click image to enlarge]

Namewee, the film producer to be

This is a press conference in which Namewee talks about his plans to produce a film based on the 1Malaysia concept.

For those who wants to know more about Namewee, please visit his blog here.

If the authorities think that Namewee's video is seditious in nature, please visit Lau Chee Kin's blog on his encounter with a group of Malay youths on Merdeka Eve night. Now we know why Najib's 1Malaysia is not working. The racist cancer may have already turned malignant.

Teo Nie Ching is dirty? Who are you to judge, Hishamuddin?

For more than a week, the rabid Utusan, MAIS and certain UMNO leaders continue to berate Teo Nie Ching for her visit to a surau in words that would even make a sailor blush. As usual, UMNO would come out with "touching on the sensitivies of the Malays" and "don't play with fire" statements [so what else is new] to make sure that every one knows that they are still in existence. As though this not been enough to crucify Teo Nie Ching, Hishamuddin now has to come in with one more nail to claim she is not fit to enter the surau as she was "dirty". Read here Malaysiakini report.

On what moral ground does Hishamuddin has to pass judgement on another person when he himself is one heck of a sinner himself. More so the party he belongs to is involved in corruption, money politics, money laundering, rape and what have you.

My advice to Hishamuddin, don't throw stones at others when you are living in a glass house or as Christ would have put it when he asked a crowd when they were about to stone a prostitute, "For those without sin, cast the first stone."

The latest on Namewee

Last night, close to midnight, 3 patrol cars swooped in at Namewee's house to take him in for questioning with regard to his recent video "Nah!". However, he was not at home and according to his manager, he was probably in discussion with a lawyer about his case. Read here for the news.

For you guys who wish to show your support for Namewee, please visit his website at;

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Namewee-huang-ming-zhi-Official-Page/160059088428?v=wall&ref=ts