Tree of Democracy (Part III)

As Malaysia dawns for a new Prime Minister (6th Prime Minister of Malaysia), the unsettling political situation continue to witness the battle between democracy and autocracy.

Oppresive measures have been mounting against opposition rallies, against peaceful gatherings, against indepedent media , against democratic measures, against opposition elected representives who were voted by 49.5% of the voters on 8th March 2008 (12th Malaysian general election) as local crime rates continue to soar and economical crisis deepens.

As the greed for power grows stronger than ever, democracy can only ensure the power to govern is the power to serve unlike autocracy that defines the power to govern is the power to rule over.

On 7th April 2009, three by-elections in the Malaysian States of Kedah, Perak and Sarawak were called by the Federal Constituition after two elected representatives passed away and one opposition representive vacated his constituency seat after receiving imminent threats/ pressure to switch political allegiance against the opposition. Now, democracy has its chance to flex its political "muscle".

How much more repressive measures are to be taken by the desperados to restrain the flourishing democratic process enshrined in the Federal Constituition and universal human rights?

Every vote in the coming three by-elections in Malaysia are more crucial than ever. I urge to voters of the respective constituency of Bukit Gantang in Perak, Bukit Selambau in Kedah and Batang Ai in Sawarak to choose their representative with utmost wisdom and justice.

04.07.09 will a be a day to vote "4" "7" principles:

1. Vote for righteousness & justice.

2. Vote for democracy & human rights.

3. Vote for our future & economy.

4. Vote against oppressive dictartorship.

5. Vote against corrupt practices.

6. Vote against arrogant leaders.

7. Vote to defend the Federal Constituition!

Choose wisely!

Joshua

Tree of Democracy (Part II)

So, what happened to the tree after the historic State Assembly emergency meeting on 3rd March 2009?...here are the following events...

About five days after the historic event of the Perak State Assembly under the shed of a tree after the elected-state assemblymen / representatives and State Assembly speaker were denied access to the State Assembly building (The act of denying access to the rightful people itself is a contempt to the State Assembly, State Consituition and the Federal Constituition of Malaysia), a democracy plaque was installed in commeration of the historic event on 8th March 2009.

Less than 72 days after the Democracy plaque were installed, vandalism has done damage on the plaque, reducing it to a Democracy relic.

Less than 48 hours after the Democracy plaque was reduced to a Democracy relic, further physical damage was done on the plaque and black paint were poured on the words recording the historic event that took place under the tree. Now, the democracy relic has been further reduced into a black tainted democracy relics.

Less than 24 hours after the black paint incident, the local council issued a warning that the plaque ia to be removed by the next morning. Indeed, the Democracy plaque was barely one week old, it was vandalised, painted and literally vanished from the site. The Democracy tree now is in a real threat to be cut down.

Finally, I would like to end my blog by a statement made by a prominent Malaysian Opposition leader...

Joshua

A quote from Opposition DAP Parliamentary Leader, Lim Kit Siang:

~In the small hours of this morning, like thieves in the night, the vandals went to work again, pouring black paint to erase the wordings of the Democracy Relic immortalizing the historic “Tree Perak State Assembly” on March 3, 2009, which has entered the folklore of the human struggle for democracy, attracting national and international interest and attention.

The enemies of democracy are in mortal fear of the Democracy Tree, Democracy Plaque and the Democratic Relic.

They should be more afraid of the Democratic Spirit and learn the lessons of history that no force on earth can suppress the quest for freedom and justice when the time has come for human beings to stand up for their fundamental birthrights to freedom and dignity.
Shame to the masterminds who sent out the vandals to desecrate the Democracy Plaque and Democracy Relic. Freedom and truth will prevail in the end.~ Lim Kit Siang.

Photos from http://blog.limkitsiang.com and http://anilnetto.com

Tree of Democracy

Photo by DelCapo (http://delcapo.wordpress.com/)

Since the March 8th 2008, the 12th Malaysian General Election since independence from the British empire on August 31st 1957. The ruling party (National Front Party) since independence suffered an upsetting setback when 49.5% of the voters voted against the ruling coalition for 50 years. (My previous blogs contain some related videos from Al Jazeera English.

The Tree of Democracy: When the separation of powers between the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary as enshrined in the Federal Constitution of Malaysia is clearly violated with the gross abuse of the power of the Executive. The Legislative branch as guarded by the democratic parliamentary system has been attacked. The symbolic Perak* (A Northern state in Malaysia with about 2.5 million population) State Assembly, a struggling democracy took refuge under the shed of a rain tree on 3rd March 2009.

*Perak- one the five states' goverment that fell into Malaysian opposition party, the People's Alliance party (Elected to the state government office).

The speaker of the State Assembly has convened an emergency meeting for the State Assembly to decide on the solution for the State Constituitional Crisis since early February 2009, when four defectors (missing in action for a week, believed to be courted with bribery, kidnapping, threats and harrasments) from the state's ruling coalition (People's Alliance/ Pakatan Rakyat) switched allegiance to National Front/Barisan Nasional coalition (Who is also the ruling party of the Federal Government of Malaysia).

With four party defectors (Political frogs as term by Malaysians), Barisan Nasional claimed and formed the Perak State Government. The Pakatan Rakyat leaders have then cried foul and insist on the power grab as illegal, unethical and unconstituition which have triggered a series of "tremors" into the very fundamentals of the Malaysian Constituition.

The emergency meeting of State Assembly (or State Parliament) took place under a tree in a car park lot, just a stone throw away from the actual State Assembly Building was announced by the Speaker of the State Assembly under the Standing Order of State Constituition after the Executive (Mainly the Federal Government) has ordered the police to deny the elected State Assemblymen and Speaker of the State Assembly from entering the building housing the State Assembly. Three major motions were passed under the abnormal circumstances which all in favour of the ousted state government of the Pakatan Rakyat and in consensus in favour of the dissolution of State Assembly paving way for a fresh state-wide election, returning the power of democracy back to the will of the people through ballot boxes. (Where the voters of the State decides who should form the State Government).

The outcome...(A chaotic constituitional crisis which involves almost every level of the society which include the police, judges, ministers, lawyers...and etc.)

However, in this series of reports. I would touch on the outcome of the tree of democracy in particular...where threats of "cutting down the tree" have been heard on the press...

Reports to follow...

Joshua

Malaysian democracy (October '07 to March '08)

Here is a video from Al Jazeera about the Malaysian political situation since October 2007.




Here is another video from Al Jazeera about the result of 12th Malaysian General Election on 8th March 2008. Sending the Opposition into a stronger voice in the Parliament.



Joshua

(Will be taking a break off from this blog from 9th March to 19th March 2009)

Christmas Tree

My room and Christmas tree for Christmas 2008. The Christmas tree has its history back to the pagan tree worship, usually the Oak tree in Europe (German) centuries ago. Now, the Christmas tree is one of the most popular traditions that is related to Christmas.

An angel or a star is usually placed on top of the tree to symbolizes the angel of heavenly hosts or the Star of Bethelehem.

The tradition of setting up a Christmas tree can be traced back into 16th Century Germany. It's most widely accepted origin begins with Boniface, a patron saint and missionary to Germany. The missionary halted a pagan tree worship when a child was to be sacrificed to an Oak tree. Boniface, destroyed the tree and days later a small fir (evergreen) tree sprang up from the debris where the destroyed oak tree was. Boniface declared: "This humble tree's wood is used to build your homes: let Christ be at the centre of your households. Its leaves remain evergreen in the darkest days: let Christ be your constant light. Its boughs reach out to embrace and its top points to heaven: let Christ be your Comfort and Guide."

S0, the fir and the pine trees (evergreens) are most often used as Christmas trees. To some, Christmas tree also symbolizes the beauty of thre Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden or the beauty of the cross after the resurrection of Christ.

While there are numerous theories on the origin of this tradition, and some even dismissed the tradition as unecessary and heretic. However, I am not going to debate whether or not a person should or should not set up a Christmas tree.

That's all for this blog.

Joshua