Azam Amir Kasav - some reports have his name as Ajmal Amir Kasab - confessed that part of the plot called for him and his fellow terrorists to carry out a replay of the destruction of Islamabad's Marriott Hotel, in targeting Mumbai's Taj Mahal Hotel. The Marriott was blown up by militants in September, an attack that killed more than 50 people.

According to a report in The Times of India, Azam said the attacks on the Taj and The Oberoi Trident were aimed to create a "Sept 11 in India", a reference to the coordinated attacks by Al-Qaeda on the United States in 2001. They involved the crashing of hijacked planes into the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon that left nearly 3,000 people dead.

The confessions of the clean-shaven, fluent English-speaking 21-year-old Pakistani have given investigators a clearer picture of what had happened last Wednesday. Azam said he was member of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, but the Kashmir- based Pakistani militant group has denied any role in the attacks. Founded as a guerilla group to fight the Indian army in Kashmir, the group was banned by the Pakistani government after the Sept 11, 2001 attacks, but reportedly continues to enjoy the backing of some Pakistani politicians and security officials. A native of Faridkot in Pakistan- occupied Kashmir, Azam revealed the names of his fellow terrorists, all Pakistani citizens: Abu Ali, Fahad, Omar, Shoaib, Umer, Abu Akasha, Ismail, Abdul Rahman (Bara) and Abdul Rahman (Chhota).

But the 10 men were apparently not the only ones directly involved: Another group, he claimed, had checked themselves into hotels four days before, waiting with weapons and ammunition they had stockpiled in the rooms. The 10 men in Azam's group were chosen well: All were trained in marine warfare and had undergone a special course conducted by the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Preparations were also detailed, and started early. See the big pictures, 35 of them here and ......continue here....

When terrorists attack, media analysts go into Sherlock Holmes mode, metaphorically prowling the crime scene for footprints, as if the way to solve the mystery is to add up all the clues. The Bombay gunmen seized British and American tourists. Therefore, it must be an attack on Westerners! Not so, said Newsweek’s Fareed Zakaria. If they’d wanted to do that, they’d have hit the Hilton or the Marriott or some other target-rich chain hotel. The Taj and the Oberoi are both Indian owned, and popular watering holes with wealthy Indians.

Okay, how about this group that’s claimed credit for the attack? The Deccan Mujahideen. As a thousand TV anchors asked on Wednesday night, “What do we know about them?” Er, well, nothing. Because they didn’t exist until they issued the press release. “Deccan” is the name of the vast plateau that covers most of the triangular peninsula that forms the lower half of the Indian sub-continent. It comes from the Prakrit word “dakkhin, which means “south.” Which means nothing at all. “Deccan Mujahideen” is like calling yourself the “Continental Shelf Liberation Front.”

Okay. So does that mean this operation was linked to al-Qaeda? Well, no. Not if by “linked to” you mean a wholly owned subsidiary coordinating its activities with the corporate head office. It’s not an either/or scenario, it’s all of the above. Yes, the terrorists targeted locally owned hotels. But they singled out Britons and Americans as hostages. Yes, they attacked prestige city landmarks like the Victoria Terminus, one of the most splendid and historic railway stations in the world. But they also attacked an obscure Jewish community center. The Islamic imperialist project is a totalitarian ideology: It is at war with Hindus, Jews, Americans, Britons, everything that is other. Continued here....

MUMBAI, 29 Nov 2008: Hema Kassipillay, the Malaysian woman who had been reported missing since the terror attacks in this city on 26 Nov, has been found dead. The body of Hema, 51, who had stayed at the Taj Mahal Hotel, scene of the worst of the militant attacks, was found by a medical team in her room at 6pm (Indian time) today. The burnt and decomposed body was found in Room 637 on the 6th floor, which was burned down by the terrorists when they seized the hotel on Wednesday evening.

Hema, who was from Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, is believed to have died of smoke inhalation. A post mortem conducted at Sir Jamshedji Jeejibhai Hospital found no injuries on the body caused by gunshots. According to a friend of her family, who spoke to Bernama on condition of anonymity, Hema's body was identified by her husband, K Sivakumaran, from the ornaments on her. Hema's body was removed from the hotel after Indian Black Cat commandoes had killed the last of the militants earlier today.

Her remains are expected to be flown to Kuala Lumpur on 1 Dec. Hema, who had worked for a company based in Kuala Lumpur, had arrived in Mumbai on an official trip. The hotel was seized by a band of terrorists on 26 Nov night, a day after Hema had arrived. She was scheduled to have returned to Kuala Lumpur on 5 Dec. Since the attacks, there had been no trace of Hema, her husband Sivakumaran had told Bernama in an interview here earlier. He had said that her colleagues had had contact with her until 1am on 27 Nov. — Bernama From The Nut Graph

THE world confronted a new face of terror this week - operating with brand new tactics and a host of goals. Earlier this week, for example, Pakistan President Assif Ali Zardari announced his readiness to settle the dispute with India over Kashmir, promising an end to a conflict that has led to four wars and countless terrorist campaigns over the past 50 years.

On Wednesday, terror organizations that do not wish the Kashmir problem to be solved offered their opinion of such a shift, in the form of a series of coordinated attacks against sensitive targets in Bombay (Mumbai), India's business capital and the engine of its recent economic takeoff.

The message was clear: Even if Pakistan scales back its old policy of backing terrorist groups in the name of liberating the Muslims of Kashmir, radical Islamists are capable of continuing the low-intensity war that has cost India billions of dollars and thousands of lives. Continued here.....

NEW DELHI: The gang of terrorists who wreaked mayhem in Mumbai for three days were made to believe by their Lashkar bosses that they were not being sent on a suicide mission and that they would be coming back alive.In a sensational disclosure made by Ajmal, the jihadi nabbed alive by Mumbai cops, the group had planned to sail out on Thursday. Their recruiters had even charted out the return route for them and stored it on the GPS device which they had used to navigate their way to the Mumbai shoreline.

This suggests that the terrorists were willing to undertake a mission which they knew would be very risky, but not necessarily suicidal. Sources said that the bait of safe return must have been used by the recruiters to convince the wavering among the group to join the audacious plot against Mumbai. Ajmal made another important disclosure: that all terrorists were trained in marine warfare along with the special course Daura-e-Shifa conducted by the Lashkar-e-Taiba in what at once transforms the nature of the planning from a routine terror strike and into a specialized raid by commandos.

Battle-hardened ATS officials are surprised by the details of the training the terrorists were put through before being despatched for the macabre mission. This was very different from a terrorist attack, and amounted to an offensive from the seam, said a source. Ajmal has revealed the name of his fellow jihadis all Pakistani citizens as Abu Ali, Fahad, Omar, Shoaib, Umer, Abu Akasha, Ismail, Abdul Rahman (Bara) and Abdul Rahman (Chhota).

The account of Ajmal also strengthens the doubt of the complicity of powerful elements in the Pakistani establishment. According to him, the group set off on November 21 from an isolated creek near Karachi without the deadly cargo of arms and ammunition they were to use against the innocents in Mumbai. The group received arms and ammunition on board a large Pakistani vessel which picked them up the following day. The vessel, whose ownership is now the subject of an international probe, had four Pakistanis apart from the crew.

A day later, they came across an Indian-owned trawler, Kuber, which was promptly commandeered on the seas. Four of the fishermen who were on the trawler were killed, but its skipper, or tandel in fishermen lingo, Amarjit Singh, was forced to proceed towards India. Amarjit was killed the next day, and Ismail the terrorist who was killed at Girgaum Chowpaty took the wheel. A trained sailor, Ismail used the GPS to reach Mumbai coast on November 26. The group, however, slowed down its advance as they had reached during the day time while the landing was planned after dusk. The group shifted to inflatable boats, before disembarking at Badhwar Park in Cuffe Parade.

From there, they mandated to kill indiscriminately, particularly white foreign tourists, and spare Muslims split up into five batches. Two of them Ismail and Ajmal took a taxi to Victoria Terminus. Three other batches of two each headed for Oberoi Hotel, Cafe Leopold and Nariman House. The remaining four went to Taj Hotel. He may have been motivated enough to kill innocents indiscriminately. In police custody, Ajmal Amir Kasab, the terrorist who was caught alive by the Mumbai police at Girgaum Chowpatty, has been forthcoming with details about the attack on Mumbai and his accomplices, all suspected Lashkar operatives from Pakistan.

Kasab, who sustained minor injuries in the police firing that killed his partner Abu Ismail (25) on Wednesday night, was produced before the Esplanade Metropolitan Magistrate on Friday. The magistrate remanded him to police custody till December 8. Incidentally, Kasab and Ismail were the two who gunned down ATS chief Hemant Karkare, additional CP Ashok Kamthe and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar. Kasab told the police that he and 9 others got off a vessel about 10 nautical miles from Mumbai and shifted to two boats hijacked from fishermen.

One source in ATS familiar with the details of the interrogation quoted him saying that in all 16 fidayeens came to Mumbai on Wednesday. A native of Faridkot in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), 21-year-old Kasab told police they had done a reccee of Mumbai few months ago. He said he had come along with eight of the operatives to Mumbai as students and lived in a rented room at Colaba market, a stone's throw away from Nariman House. Times of India

SEVERAL years ago, I developed something called arthrosis in my knees. This is a first cousin to arthritis, and is extremely painful. After a few months on painkillers, I enrolled in a yoga class out of desperation. Initially, contorting my out-of-shape body into the positions required by our teacher was very difficult, but soon I managed to bully my joints into approximating the postures our elegant instructor assumed so effortlessly.

A few months into this routine, I began to look forward to the thrice-weekly yoga classes. In our darkened room, soft music would play, while we were encouraged to empty our minds and hold the positions for just a little longer each time. My body became suppler, and crucially the pain in my knees disappeared. Unfortunately, the timings of our class were changed, and I could no longer pursue my new interest. Nevertheless, I have nothing but pleasant memories of the year-long experience.

Now, as my creaking body protests each time I lower myself to pick up something from the floor, I wish I could have continued my yoga lessons. So imagine my surprise when I discovered that Malaysia’s top Islamic body recently issued a fatwa prohibiting Muslims from practising yoga due to elements of Hinduism the ancient system is supposed to contain. According to The Island, a Sri Lankan daily, the Malaysian National Fatwa Council’s chairman, Shukor Husin, has said that “many Muslims fail to understand that yoga’s ultimate aim is to be one with a god of a different religion”. I had no idea that when our yoga teacher told us to empty our minds, she was doing so with the aim of making space in that limited cavity for a foreign god.

Fortunately, this edict is not legally binding, unless of course the government makes it a law. And in case you think this is far-fetched, just remember that the Malay government has recently made it illegal for non-Muslims to use the word ‘Allah’, for fear that “it would confuse Muslims”. It seems many other things confuse Muslims in Malaysia: the fatwa council recently declared tomboy-ish behaviour by girls un-Islamic on the grounds that girls who act like boys “violate Islam’s edicts”. Now having grown up with my cousin Meher who played cricket and rode bikes with us as kids, and is now long happily married, I cannot imagine how her early years as a tomboy make her un-Islamic. But according to Maulana Shukor Husin, this kind of innocent childhood behaviour is unacceptable.

However, not all Malay Muslims are taking this latest fatwa lying down. The Island quotes Putri Rahim as maintaining: “I am mad! Maybe they have it in mind that Islam is under threat. To come out with a fatwa is an insult to intelligent Muslims. It’s an insult to my belief.” But the members of the fatwa council are in good company, for Christian fundamentalists in the United States have long opposed yoga classes in schools, arguing that it violates the secular principle of separating church from state. According to them, yoga’s Hindu roots conflict with Christian teachings. And apparently, Egypt’s highest theological body banned yoga for Muslims in 2004.

I must confess that my meagre knowledge of Islam does not qualify me to give a definitive opinion. However, based on personal experience, I can say with greater authority than Maulana Shukor Husin that yoga is a wonderful system for the body and the mind, relaxing both, while enhancing the powers of concentration. Millions around the world practise it every day, and are well rewarded for their efforts. To deny its benefits to Muslims is to declare that we march to the beat of a different drummer. So what planet are these fundamentalists on? And what century do they live in? Surely everything that’s good for us, or is fun, cannot be declared un-Islamic on a whim? Even I know that there is no mention of yoga in the holy book, so how can these killjoys come out with their absurd fatwa?

Sadly, the Islam of Shukor Husin and his ilk has been reduced to a list of dos and don’ts, with the latter having swollen to many times the former. Almost every month, there is an addition to what is forbidden to Muslims. But as many Muslims continue to flout this litany of edicts, they are pushed into the illicit enjoyment of what is natural and pleasurable. Their sense of guilt grows, as does the level of hypocrisy in Muslim societies.

And if this kind of retrogressive mindset can hold sway in a relatively modern Muslim country like Malaysia, just think what is going on in nations like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. One explanation for these reactionary fatwas is that the ruling Muslim party, in power since 1957, has seen its majority greatly eroded in recent elections due to the gains made by multiracial opposition parties. This fear of losing their grip on power due to growing secularism might be causing conservatives to draw a line in the sand. Whatever the reason, such desperate and ultimately futile measures only serve to further marginalise Muslims. Already viewed as a backward community by much of the world, Muslims risk withdrawing from the rest of mankind at a time when globalisation is breaking down barriers at a frenzied pace.

In India, Muslim ulema have won the right to dominate women as a religious right. This exemption was granted to them by a secular Congress Party. In Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Taliban and their supporters want to ban music, movies and even kite-flying. When the Taliban were in power, they had banned education for girls, and had denied women medical care from male doctors. Where will this madness end?

It will end if and when Muslims decide that enough is enough, and that they do not want to live in the sixth century. Unfortunately, there is much confusion in the Islamic world, with the result that uneducated mullahs issue half-baked edicts on everything under the sun, and ordinary people, unsure of themselves, pay lip service to these teachings.

Millions in the Islamic world have convinced themselves that their current weakness has been caused by the West. If they examine the causes for their backwardness more closely, they will discover that they lie much closer to home than they would like to admit. Irfan Husain in the Dawn

They were young and cleanshaven, wearing Western T-shirts and carrying rucksacks. They could have fit in easily with the cosmopolitan and robustly growing “New India.” If that weren’t exactly the India they had come to destroy.

India has long been a terrorist target. Only Iraq has lost more people in attacks during the past four years. But the days-long assault on the financial capital of Mumbai was an escalation, as well-trained “fidayeen” shock troops methodically murdered their way through the city’s symbols of wealth and openness to the world.

Mumbai had been bit in 1993, in car bombs placed at public landmarks (the toll: 257 dead), and in 2006, in bombs targeting the city’s commuter trains (183 dead). In the main, these acts of terror victimized ordinary Indians. Using armed attackers in a tactic associated with Pakistani militants in the disputed territory of Kashmir, the latest assault more precisely targeted Westerners and India’s affluent.

They shot up the Leopold Cafe, a restaurant where foreigners enjoy the cheap beer and food, and held hostages at two luxury hotels, the Taj Mahal and the Oberoi. They searched out Americans and Brits in particular. Together with their attack on a Jewish community center, this meant that they had taken aim at each element of the jihadist’s unholy trinity of Americans, Brits, and Jews — symbols to them of unapologetic Western power and its Zionist spawn.

The most memorable image of the “spectacular” was the iconic Italianate dome of the Taj, licked by flames as Indian security services battled the terrorists holed up inside. Once a bastion of Westerners, the Taj is now within reach of India’s growing elite, a venue for wedding receptions and business meetings. The terrorists want to trash that progress, to keep out Westerners and cut India off from globalization.

Coming just weeks after Barack Obama’s election, the massacre explodes the Left’s most reductive explanation of Islamic terrorism: that President George W. Bush and his provocations, including the Iraq War, dangerously inflamed Muslims and fueled terror. With a security agreement setting a goal of a U.S. exit from Iraq by 2012 and Bush leaving office, jihadists are still at their monstrous handiwork. They have an ideological goal larger than any one conflict or any American president.

And the absolute malice of the Mumbai terrorists is a reminder of a piece of supposed Bush/Cheney alarmism: that should these as-yet low-tech killers — armed with guns and grenades — ever acquire weapons of mass destruction, they will use them without hesitation.

Already there is debate over whether the Mumbai attack had an international or home-grown origin. This can be a false distinction.

The global jihadist movement is larger and more diffuse than al-Qaeda, even if it is inspired by it. Combining careful organization and training with intimate knowledge of the city, the Mumbai operation probably involved the work of both outsiders and locals.

The Indian government will point a finger at Pakistan. The Pakistani security service, the ISI, has long fostered anti-India terror groups, but it’s hard to believe that the Pakistani government — warming up to India of late — had a direct, official role in the attacks. ISI alone can’t be blamed for India’s terrorism problem. Side by side with the New India of Bollywood and a lunar probe is an India of Hindu-Muslim communal violence and anti-Muslim discrimination. Young Muslims now score more poorly on literacy tests than the Hindu “untouchables.” A disaffected Muslim population of 150 million in India is an inevitable breeding ground for militancy.

The war on terror is fundamentally a global counterinsurgency that depends on implementing stern security measures — of the sort the current Indian government has eschewed — and on reaching out to Muslim communities to keep their fringes from extremism. The Indian government will have to do both, while carefully managing tense relations with its fellow nuclear power, Pakistan. The fate of the New India hangs in the balance. National Review — Rich Lowry is the editor of National Review.

The Army of Muhammad is back. This was the message buzzing in radical Islamist circles yesterday as the world tried to absorb the shock of the terrorist attacks in Bombay, India's economic capital. While it is not yet clear which group was behind the attacks, it looks as if the perpetrators were trying to imitate the tactic of ghazwa, used by the Prophet against Meccan caravans in his decade-long campaign to seize control of the city.

The tactic consists of surprise no-holds-barred attacks simultaneously launched against a caravan or settlement with the aim of demoralising the enemy and hastening his capitulation. The Bombay attacks differed from previous terror operations in India in a number of ways. In the past, one approach had been to place explosive-packed devices in crowded places with the aim of killing large numbers at random. Another was suicide attacks on specific targets by lone "volunteers for martyrdom".

This time, however, the approach was "symphonic", in the sense that it involved different types of operations blended together. Involved in the operations were men who had placed explosives at selected points. But there were also gunmen operating in classic military style by seizing control of territory at symbolically significant locations along with hostages. Then there were militants prepared to kill, and be killed, in grenade attacks against security forces.

Whoever designed the operations had another important Islamic tactic in mind: tabarra or exoneration. This consists of separating the "outsider", in this case the British and American "infidel", from the community with the intent of blaming them for the ills of the world before sacrificing them. It was no accident that one of the places attacked was a Jewish centre, where gunmen seized a rabbi and several members of the congregation as hostages.

The loud message was that a small group of individuals could turn a megalopolis of almost 15 million inhabitants into a battlefield for at least a day. Continued here....

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia deserves a medal. In mid-November, he inaugurated a two-day conference at the U.N. aimed at promoting dialogue. Abdullah should be awarded a medal not because he called for plurality, tolerance, and moderation, but because he did so with a straight face. That the ruler of one of the most repressive and despotic nations on Earth convinced anyone to listen to his peroration points only to our willful delusion and profound moral ineptitude.

In his address, Abdullah declared “Human beings are created equals and partners on this planet.” That must have been news to the enslaved citizens of his own country. Saudi women are banned from driving and cannot travel without a man’s permission. Freedom of speech, press, and assembly are virtually non-existent. It is forbidden to build a synagogue or church on Saudi soil. In September, the head of the Supreme Judiciary Council, Saudi Arabia’s highest judicial authority, issued a fatwa to kill the owners of satellite TV stations who broadcast “inappropriate” material. Another member of the same council issued a fatwa calling for the death of hosts of astrology TV programs. In July, the Orwellian-named Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice banned the walking of pet cats and dogs in public.

Demonstrating the xenophobic, anti-Semitic, gender-apartheid nature of Saudi Arabia is easy. Understanding the West’s appeasement of it is not. After Abdullah’s speech, Israeli President Shimon Peres responded “Your majesty, the King of Saudi Arabia, I was listening to your message. I wish that your voice will become the prevailing voice of the whole region, of all people. It’s right, it’s needed, it’s promising.” One would have thought the King just allowed women to vote, drive, or express dissent. But an oil-rich Arab dictator apparently need only to whisper a few empty platitudes and the West is ready to heap praise.

For Saudi Arabia to preside over a U.N. conference on tolerance is akin to Iraq being offered the chair of the U.N. Committee on Disarmament (with as Iran co-chair!) or Libya being elected to lead the U.N. Human Rights Committee. Never before have such ferocious foxes guarded such naïve hens.Any sane discussion about tolerance would feature Saudi Arabia as the precise opposite of what is desired. Abdullah would be roundly castigated and one leader after another would denounce his regime. But that would be asking too much, for it would require a modicum of moral clarity and the ability to stand up for something other than immediate economic gain.

As Abdullah waxed poetic at the U.N., the West should be working furiously to undermine his regime. Liberty must not be sacrificed on the altar of perceived economic stability. The Saudi people are being radicalized and alienated under the oppressive thumb of King Abdullah and the Wahhabist imams he subsidizes. That America sends billions of dollars of arms to an unelected government that crushes basic freedoms is as immoral as it is counter-productive.

On November 12 in front of the entire world, Saudi hypocrisy reached a new high. Let us hope that in response, the West does not reach a new low. The National Review

David Keyes is the coordinator for democracy programs under Natan Sharansky at the Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies.

This is the second of a three-part series. The first piece can be read here.

This month’s Catholic-Muslim Forum at the Vatican highlighted several basic divisions between the two sides, beginning with how the two sides understand the nature and purpose of interreligious dialogue. What exactly is such dialogue for? Is it a means to an end or an end in itself? What matters more, process or results?

These divisions are especially clear in the dialogue’s agenda and in the composition of the two sides’ respective 29-member delegations. The Muslim side had sought to limit the scope of the talks to purely “theological” issues, specifically excluding any concrete and specific concerns like the plight of shrinking Christian minorities in Muslim-majority states. After much backing and forthing, an agreement was reached to split the difference, with the first day devoted to “theological and spiritual fundamentals,” the second to “the dignity of the human person and mutual respect.”

The same division between abstract and concrete concerns carried over into the composition of the two delegations. Prominent among the Catholic representatives were prelates directly responsible for Christian minorities whose circumstances range from difficult to desperate: Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk, representing Iraq’s largest Christian minority, the Chaldean Catholics; Archbishop Jean-Clément Jeanbart of Aleppo (Syria), representing Greek Melkites (like the Chaldeans, an Eastern-rite branch of Roman Catholicism); and Archbishop Paul Hinder, apostolic vicar for the Arabian Peninsula, who maintains “that the situation of the Church in Saudi Arabia is similar to that of early Christian communities. It is a Church that prays, that hopes one day to come out of the catacombs.” Continued here......

In return for the right to practise their religion, the ahl al-dhimma paid a poll-tax, jizya. The payment of the jizya by the ahl al-kitab is based on Sura At-Tawba:29 in the Quran, which stipulates that these people should be fought "until they pay the jizya out of hand, while being humiliated ."[3]

It is true that the ahl al-kitab were given rights, but these were hardly rights equal to those held by Muslims. In the first place, they did not have equal political rights. The Islamic state was a theocratic polity, ruled according to God's revelation. Unbelievers, by definition, could not hold the highest office in the land or contribute to policy.

The ahl al-kitab who paid jizya were also clear as to the position they held in Muslim society: the jizya, and other stipulations, were there to show that while they were a protected people, they were also a subject people. Some of these conditions may be seen in another early Muslim document, the Pact of Umar, which is regarded as the standard agreement imposed by the Islamic state on the subject ahl al-kitab.

According to the pact, the ahl al-kitab could not proselytise, and had no right to prevent members of their community from being converted to Islam. They had to wear clothes that distinguished them from Muslims and marked them out as inferior members of the polity. They had to give up their seats to Muslims. They could not ride horses, or bear arms in public the way Muslims could. They had to clip the hair on the fronts of their heads.

There were also limits to the religious freedom given to the ahl al-kitab. Christians could neither display crosses in public nor ring bells in their churches. The houses of the ahl al-kitab had to be lower than those of Muslims. They could neither build new churches or synagogues, nor repair any existing ones if they were to fall into disrepair. In full from The Nutgraph

This about the continous fight of Captain Mukhtiar for his pension - edit.

This is the story of two groups of men. One is of standing, the other without. One receives millions in ex-gratia payment. The other suffers, begging for scraps here and there. The ones of standing are six former judges. Respected by many and sacked after much deliberation. This happened a long time ago. The judges were impeached by their peers, some of whom were local and others who were foreigners. That, too, is an old story. Word has it that their pensions were paid nonetheless. Twenty years’ worth. Suddenly, a Minister (now former Minister) came into the picture. Zaid Ibrahim is his name. He was not just a minister, but a liberal one with a universal outlook.

Thus, the life of the six former judges became brighter. Their ‘suffering’ became headline news with the minister going back and forth to come up with the best solution. The answer was simple. Dip into the country’s coffers. Use the taxpayers’ money. Give them an ex-gratia payment of RM10.5 million. In the blink of an eye, they became rich. Three became instant millionaires while the rest received half-a-million ringgit each. Zaid is no longer a minister. He resigned. Rumours have it that many in the Cabinet were relieved. But remember, Zaid was personally chosen by the Prime Minister. That is the story of men with standing. An old story that no one was allowed to forget. Millions of cash dished out supposedly as atonement for the sin and to honour their contributions to the country.

But who cares for the nameless ones? The little guy with no one to champion his cause, although every drop of his blood and every beat of his heart was dedicated to the defence of his homeland. This is the story and the suffering of former soldier Capt (Rtd) Mukhtiar Singh. At 75, the former policeman and soldier is still waiting for his pension. His appeal was rejected by the Defence Ministry. "He did not meet requirements," was the excuse. That was it. This is bureaucracy at its worst. Fortunately, there are still those with hearts. Individuals who know the meaning of selflessness. Thank you Lt-Col (Rtd) Mohd Idris Hassan and thank you IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan. And to YB Wee Choo Keong as well. Thank you also to Malay Mail for highlighting the plight of Mukhtiar Singh.

There are still many out there who are waiting for someone to fight for their rights because Social Welfare officers no longer visit villages and the rural areas to seek out the poor and the helpless. Many more are suffering because the Yang Berhormats are too busy enjoying the good life, forgetting their campaign promises and manifestos. I remember the old days when Social Welfare officers would visit villages and rural areas, looking for the needy and the poor, the single mothers and orphans, the old and the handicapped.

Extension officers visited farms, offering advice and extending knowledge. Rida (now Mara) officers went to rural areas looking for smart children to send to boarding schools. Now, public officers rarely venture out into the kampung. They are more at home in their air-conditioned offices and cushy chairs. If we want aid, we have to go and see them. Even then, there’s no guarantee that they will be there. They are too busy playing golf to win the hearts of their bosses at the expense of their obligations to the community.

This is the Malaysia that we promote as being safe and peaceful. Is this reality or merely a mantra chanted by the media to soothe our ears? To quote Bob Dylan, "The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind. The answer is blowin’ in the wind." The Malay Mail

I wouldn't say "unbeatable" - think they said that about the Bismarck and the Yamoto. ... Britain launches massive sub that can hear a ship from across the Atlantic. She is four years late and a massive 900 million over-budget. But when the Royal Navy's super-sub HMS Astute finally arrived, she makes for an awesome sight. More complex than the space shuttle, and able to circumnavigate the globe without surfacing, the 7,400-ton monster is the largest and deadliest hunter-killer submarine ever built.
Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall cracked a bottle of beer brewed by the sub's crew on her bow to officially name the 'boat', in Navy jargon, before she was gingerly wheeled out of her shed at the stately speed of one metre per minute. The specifications for Britain's biggest submarine make for mind-boggling reading, but it was the sheer size of the black behemoth that made its mark on the 10,000 dockyard workers, schoolchildren, VIPs and Navy personnel invited to the ceremony in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria! As long as a football pitch, at 318 ft, and as wide as four double-decker buses, HMS Astute is a third longer than any sub, which has gone before. Her nuclear-powered engine will propel her through the water at more than 20 knots, yet the UK's first stealth sub makes less noise than a baby dolphin, making her as good as undetectable by enemy ships.

Astute's sonar is so advanced that if she were lying in the English Channel she would be able to detect ships leaving New York harbor 3,000 nautical miles away (although the details of how she can do this are classified).The nuclear reactor will never need refueling, and with an ability to make oxygen and drinking water out of sea water, the sub could stay underwater for its entire 25-year life span were it not for the needs of the crew. Once she goes into operation in 2009, Astute will carry a 98-man crew and stay at sea for 12 weeks on a routine patrol.

She will carry 38 Tomahawk cruise missiles, with a range of 1,240 miles, meaning Astute could attack targets in North Africa with pinpoint accuracy while sitting off the coast of Plymouth. Spearfish torpedoes will also be on board for attacking ships and other subs. But Astute will not carry nuclear weapons. The UK’s Trident missiles are launched from the Vanguard class submarines.

The Navy's submarine chief Captain Mike Davis-Marks said: 'The Astute class of submarines will quite simply be unbeatable worldwide for many years to come. 'Astute will have a capability that will keep us right at the top of the premiership of the world's navies the Manchester United of submarine nations. With our proud heritage, Britain deserves nothing less.' Astute is the first of four vessels to be built by BAE Systems at a total cost of $3.85 billion.
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Indeed ! A favourite subject, no need to spend or waste time and money on this subject. No need for any hocus pokus scientific study. Simple solution would be to ask serving Non Malay Civil servants, why? They will give you answers that people like Public Services Commission (PSC)Secretary, Lamien Sawiyo do not like to hear. Malaysiakini has a story about this bunkum about this person calling for an official study, which is underway to determine the reasons for the low number of applications by non-Malays to join the civil service.

"We want to know what causes non-Malays to be disinterested to be in government. Is it because of salary, culture or do they rather do business?," he said. Lamien said that the PSC has commissioned the Economic Planning Unit to conduct a "psychological perception study" on the matter. In full from Malaysiakini.

No need to use big sounding words like "psychological perception study". Use simple words like glass ceiling, racial discrimination, New Economic Policy and Malay dominance , supremacy, impediments and road blocks placed in along the way of Non Malays and of course the usual "masuk Melayu' phrase, which actually turns off many people. I know, I have been there. Read Mgg Pillai's article here for a better understanding.

It is time for Barack Obama to pay the piper.

For years, he and his fellow Democrats delighted in demagoguing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where the military is still holding approximately 250 alleged enemy combatants men (down from over 800). Now, after all their bombast about the urgent need to close the facility — the better, they harangued, to improve our standing in the “international community” (compared to whose prisons Gitmo is actually a model of humaneness) — the president-elect must face a harsh reality.

For the American community, Gitmo was never the problem, and closing it will not solve anything. Candidate Obama called for a return of pre-9/11 counterterrorism thinking, meaning full-blown civilian trials for all captured terrorists. Come January 20, though, President Obama’s principal task will be to protect the national security of the United States, not to secure the admiration of Human Rights Watch. Thus he will confront the stubborn fact the not every jihadist who poses a danger to American lives can be brought to trial and proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in accordance with our civilian due process standards. Continued here.....

God bless Sarah Palin, and shame on elitists from both sides of the aisle who have denigrated, demonized and dissed her. I don't care how many "smartest people in the room" types offer pseudo-sophisticated analyses to prove she was a drag on the GOP presidential ticket. They are all manifestly and embarrassingly wrong -- and woefully out of touch -- which is par for the course for elitists. Speaking of elitists, it's time to address their contempt for rural and southern America, particularly their ongoing smear of the South (and, truth be told, rank-and-file conservative Republicans) as racist.

For all the accolades Barack Obama is receiving, he should acknowledge a bit of egg on his face for invoking race with his failed prediction that his opponents would play the race card. "They're going to try to ¦ make you scared of me," he said. "You know, 'He's not patriotic enough; he's got a funny name.' You know, 'He doesn't look like all those other presidents on those dollar bills." Then there was Newsweek's poster boy for liberal smugness, Jonathan Alter, hypothecating a scenario in which Obama could lose because of racism. Alter said the following factors would have contributed:

--"Erosion in the critical I-4 corridor near Tampa and in the Panhandle, where the astonishing Republican margins among whites could be attributed only to race."

--"The transformation of the northern part of (Virginia) couldn't overcome a huge McCain margin among whites farther south. They weren't the racists of their parents' generation, but they weren't quite ready to vote for the unthinkable, either." Continued here in full.....

When a Christian says that Jesus is the Son of God, it is blasphemous to the ears of some. It is blasphemous to Christians when people tell them that Jesus was not crucified and that somone else took his place. It is one way, a underhanded way to prevent Christian evangelism. A United Nations plan that would make Christians criminals under international law will be getting a review by the White House, according to spokeswoman Dana Perino. Read more here. For context take Pakistan's blasphemy laws.Under it, a Christian who is confronted by a Muslim and asked whether or not he thinks Muhammad was a prophet can be charged with blasphemy, i.e. disrespect of Islam, simply for answering No. That is, simply for affirming that he is not indeed a Muslim. They use it to oppress the minorities in so many ways.

Lahore (AsiaNews) – A Christian man acquitted on blasphemy charges was recently released but is in hiding for fear of retaliation from Muslim extremists. In Hafizabin Additional Session Judge Sardar Ahmad Makan on 4 November ruled in favour of Dr Robin Sardar, 55, after he had already spent five months in Gujranwala Central Jail. Had he been found guilty he could have received a life sentence or the death penalty. Continue to Asia News in full Since the law was introduced in 1986, 25 people have been killed because of it, not as a result of any legally mandated execution order but at the hands of religious extremists, sometimes even when the alleged offender was in police custody.According to some sources, 892 people are presently charged with blasphemy.

The country's (Saudi Arabia) lack of religious freedom betrays its lofty rhetoric. The real aim of its 'dialogue' is to promote a global blasphemy law.

By Donald H. Argue and Leonard A. Leo November 13, 2008

Washington - World leaders gathering at the United Nations this week for a special session of the General Assembly to advance interfaith dialogue should have no illusions that their efforts will miraculously promote mutual respect between religious communities or end abuses of religious freedom. Saudi King Abdullah, who initiated this week's special session, is quietly enlisting the leaders' support for a global law to punish blasphemy – a campaign championed by the 56-member Organization of Islamic Conference that puts the rights of religions ahead of individual liberties.

If the campaign succeeds, states that presume to speak in the name of religion will be able to crush religious freedom not only in their own country, but abroad. The UN session is designed to endorse a meeting of religious leaders in Spain last summer that was the brainchild of King Abdullah and organized by the Muslim World League. That meeting resulted in a final statement counseling promotion of "respect for religions, their places of worship, and their symbols ... therefore preventing the derision of what people consider sacred."

The lofty-sounding principle is, in fact, a cleverly coded way of granting religious leaders the right to criminalize speech and activities that they deem to insult religion. Instead of promoting harmony, however, this effort will exacerbate divisions and intensify religious repression. Such prohibitions have already been used in some countries to restrict discussion of individuals' freedom vis-à-vis the state, to prevent criticism of political figures or parties, to curb dissent from prevailing views and beliefs, and even to incite and to justify violence.

They undermine the standards codified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the keystone of the United Nations, by granting greater rights to religions than to individuals, including those who choose to hold no faith – or who would seek to convert. Another stark irony hangs over the UN special session this week. Saudi Arabia is one of the world's worst abusers of religious freedom, a fact recognized by the Bush administration when it named it a "country of particular concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act in 2004. The king couldn't hold such a conference at home, where conservative clerics no doubt would purge the guest list of Jews from Israel, Baha'is, and Ahmadis. Continued here.....

Saudi King Abdullah, who initiated this week’s special session, is quietly enlisting the leaders’ support for a global law to punish blasphemy - a campaign championed by the 56-member Organization of Islamic Conference that puts the rights of religions ahead of individual liberties.If the campaign succeeds, states that presume to speak in the name of religion will be able to crush religious freedom not only in their own country, but abroad.

The UN session is designed to endorse a meeting of religious leaders in Spain last summer that was the brainchild of King Abdullah and organized by the Muslim World League. That meeting resulted in a final statement counseling promotion of “respect for religions, their places of worship, and their symbols … therefore preventing the derision of what people consider sacred.” The lofty-sounding principle is, in fact, a cleverly coded way of granting religious leaders the right to criminalize speech and activities that they deem to insult religion. Instead of promoting harmony, however, this effort will exacerbate divisions and intensify religious repression.

As President Bush and other world leaders convene for the farce, King Abdullah’s plan will move steadily along and his image as peacemaker will be broadcast far and wide. He can back off of whatever lukewarm peace initiative he’s laid out once he’s made his case for global blasphemy.

As for the Saudi cooperation with the U.S., right now the Saudis are very uneasy about In full from Commentary Magazine

This guy is like Smeagol, who changes and becomes evil like Gollum in his bid for power. He is guided by the likes of Mahathir who is synonymous with Saruman, a person who embodies, evil.

Mukhriz Mahathir has said that the May 13 incident should be seen as a "blessing". He was referring to New Economic Policy, an affirmative action policy which favoured the bumiputera, that was introduced as a result of the May 13 incident. "So the good that came out from such tragedy has been something that we have enjoyed even until now," argued Mukhriz. In full from Malaysiakini. This is his convoluted logic ala Mahathir.

Anyway there is a nice letter wriiten in Malaysiakini asking Mukhriz not to hide behind Daddy's sarong in Malaysiakini in relation to his chickening out of a debate. Yellow bellied, lily livered chicken? Here are some choice extracts:

What is more important is for the people to see how articulate and knowledgeable you are and whether you are fit for the position? Every time Umno sneezes, the country catches a flu. You are not that ignorant, right? If you cannot communicate openly and clearly, then what good are you? If you have problems getting your views and opinions out across in the open, what good are you actually for? Perhaps you are not learned enough, and you are afraid your ignorance will fail you when it comes to the subject matters.

Show some guts Mukhriz, stop hiding behind papa's kain sarung. You are in the race because the old man is pulling the strings. It is time to show that you are your own man who has got substance and has got what it takes. Wait, probably the old man advised you not to accept the challenge to debate, especially when it came from Khairy J, that smooth talker. Hmm, wait, now that I think of it, it is a smart move. Read the whole letter here in Malaysiakini (free).

Mukhriz gets his inspiration from a rabid Mahathir, who has very conveniently and unabashedly reiterated his preference for race-based politics in Malaysia. He also claims the practice in Malaysia has, according to a Malaysiakini report, ‘been able to reduce debates on race and stabilised and developed the country' (notice the convoluted logic). According to Mahathir, one indication of the continued relevance of race-based politics is that even the opposition parties are in fact organised along racial lines. He points out, PAS may not be a multi-racial party; neither is the DAP genuinely so. But here’s the fundamental difference, between a party like the DAP and Umno: the former does not profess and define itself exclusively as a race-based party.

Umno's identity and reason for being, on the other hand, is based precisely on affirming itself as a race-based party and is committed to racist policies. The opposition are committed to the vision of multi-racial politics devoid of racism. This is something Umno could never be – and certainly not so long as ardent and unyielding politicians such as Mahathir are driven by racist politics. Read the whole, well articulated article here, written by G Krishnan

This about the continous fight of Captain Mukhtiar for his pension. The exploits of his I have written. Mindef's Public Relations Department's spokesperson had previously brushed off and pooh - poohed his heroic deeds. They argued about his length of service being not enough, not having undergone the Tactics Course, you wanna teach a duck how to swim? None of the Tactics Instructors from the past to the present could have achieved what he has achieved in their life time, period, let alone having seen an enemy. Especially so Mindef's PR Department, whose members might not have been in existence during Mukhtiar's great deeds, let alone seen any enemy. Who might actuallly faint seeing one, after all they view the fate of fighting men, from their Ivory Towers, which are air conditioned, safe and meticulosly clean, unlike the poor slogging infantryman, whose main companions are dirt, hardship, hunger, cold and danger.

Look at this document, which tells us that Captain Mukhtiar Singh was not approved to be a Regular Officer, due to him not meeting the required courses as in the PMAT/23/68 and the APKTTD Serial 4 and 16. It no way mentions that he lacks the years of sevice to qualify for pension as spun by the PR Dept of Mindef.

Well let us assist Mindef's spokesperson do some simple maths. Before that let us see how the reporter belittles his service by saying, "Mukthiar has served in the Armed Forces for only 8 years 4 months and 12 days short of 10 years required to qualify for pension." I think she fell for the game being played by the Mindef PR Dept which mentioned in a deceptive manner in their Fax: para (1), click on the fax to enlarge. He retired on 21 July 1978 at the age of 46 clocking 8 years 5 months and 27 days. Prior to that he served in the volunteer forces and was mobilized from 4th July 1961 to 31 Dec 1969 for a total of 8 years 5 months and 27 days.

What it actually means and which the PR Dept of Mindef did not want to clarify is simply that the first 8 years plus mentioned were commissioned service and the next 8 years plus were Other Rank service totaling 16 years 11 months and 14 days of recognized service in the Armed Forces. Also not mentioned by the PR was that his Police service was 12 years 5 months and 4 days which all added to gether would give Mukthiar a whooping 29 years 4 months and 14 days. A reader reading my blog would probably say what is all this fuss about this bloke not getting pension he has after all only 8 years service!!!

Please do the maths based on the document. Apparently Mindef's PR Department, does not go into the details in depth. They are only the "scratch the surface types,"mediocre and inefficient.
I have the greatest of respect for the Police and the IGP for looking at the pilght of the this great warrior shunned by Mindef.

A hero's exploits remembered By Ng Suzhen November 07, 2008

The heroic exploits of Captain (Rtd) Mukhtiar Singh Sodagar Singh in both the police force and army may soon be commemorated in the Royal Malaysian Police Museum for all to see. These were the sentiments of Supt Rasdi Ramli, Bukit Aman public relations officer, and ASP Zaihan Mohd Kahar, head of the Media Centre of the Royal Malaysian Police. “We will consider recording Mukhtiar's stories in the police museum, but whatever decision we make must have the approval of the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan,’’ said Rasdi. Going through Mukhtiar’s documents at the home of his good friend, Lt Col (Rtd) Mohd Idris Hassan, both Rasdi and Zaihan listened intently to the two veterans.

Referring to Mukhtiar’s appeal for a pension, Zaihan said the most important document was the statement of service which contained Mukhtiar’s I-number, something that was equivalent to a civilian's identification card. “With the I-number, it will be easier for us to track down his past service records. We need to conduct a complete internal investigation before anything can be done,’’ said Zaihan.

The police force will also need to refer to the Pension Unit and the Recruitment and Service Unit, which will take time. But for Mukhtiar, this was something he would be willing to wait for. “We’re happy that the police force has been helpful and willing to listen to my predicament. The public has given its support but the police force is the first government body to sit up and pay attention to what we have to say,’’ said Mukhtiar.

Mohd Idris also expressed his gratitude to the police force for taking the trouble to help his good friend of over 40 years. He also emphasised that this was not about seeking charity from the police or army, rather, it was about seeking the recognition every Malaysian hero truly deserves. For the past 30 years, Mukhtiar, with the help of Mohd Idris, has been writing letters and even approached the Veteran Affairs Department at the Defence Ministry, but to no avail.

It was learnt that Mukhtiar’s pension was denied because he did not attend the “Platoon Weapons’’ and the “Young Officers Tactics Course’’, both of which were held close to the day Mukhtiar was scheduled to retire from the army. His requirement to attend these two courses was ironic as Mukhtiar himself had already been a weapons instructor, training many others to handle weapons.

Since he was 16 years old, Mukhtiar had been helping to maintain peace in the country, even in the face of danger. “He was such a fierce protector of peace that his enemies took the trouble to plan three assassination attempts on him,’’ Mohd Idris said.

It wasn't until Malay Mail highlighted the matter that Mukhtiar's plight caught the attention and concern of the public. Despite the public outcry and evidence of Mukhtiar’s dedication to the country, the Defence Ministry refused to budge from procedure and remained adamant in denying Mukhtiar a pension. The Malay Mail

We were fledglings wanting very much to be accepted by the brood. Seven of us reported to a unit that was based in a far-flung corner of Malaysia. Second Rangers was the resident battalion of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and was one of the two stationed in this East Malaysian state. Our battalion was the guardian of Sabah’s western sea board.

As subalterns we were considered second class. Our lives were being dictated by the whims of our seniors, although we were of the same rank. In the army seniority matters even if you are a day older in service.


One senior who stood out was Nathan. He was already a full-Lieutenant, a two-piper, while the rest were one-pipers. Nathan was from the Ranks and was a corporal in the Signal Corps before joining the military college. He was commissioned in 1967 and had joined Second Rangers as a platoon commander. His stint in the Signals got him the appointment as the Regimental Signal Officer, a coveted post sought after by young officers.

Nathan was friendly and helpful. He was the only senior we could relate to. The rest were aloof. When we joined the battalion in 1970, Nathan was already married. He lived in the married quarters while we stayed in the Officers’ Mess. Our lives revolved around the mess bar. Distance and loneliness were overcome with us banding together for comfort and strength.

Nathan remained in the unit for a number of years. I got promoted and so did he. We later became company commanders serving under a head-strong Commanding Officer, Colonel Zain Daud. Nathan was taken under Zain’s wings and was given the unenviable job as the unit’s Operations Officer. Towards the end of 1972, while operating in the jungles of Jalong in Sungei Siput, the battalion had its first operational success. We got one kill, a notch up on the score board. Nathan was the prime mover.
I called Nathan by his pet name, “Andy” while to the rest he was simply “Anay” (brother in Tamil). He was a big brother, nonetheless although not in stature. When the battalion was deployed at the Thai border in 1974, Nathan’s consistency led us to recover many terrorist bases, arms caches and food dumps.

Our paths crossed again after we retired from service. It was in 1998 when I stumbled into him by chance. I dropped by Yayasan Sultan Idris Shah in Bercham for a visit and was pleasantly surprised by Nathan’s appearance. He was the Chief Executive Officer of the rehabilitation centre. How could a former soldier be managing a place like the Yayasan? His penchant for helping the under privileged could be the reason. Nathan, in his twilight years, was taking care of the handicaps. He remained with the centre for over a decade before calling it quits in 2005.

An active sportsman in his younger days, Nathan played football, rugby and hockey for the battalion. Andy had always been fascinated by the rough and tumble lifestyle of a soldier. He volunteered to attend the rigorous parachute course in order to earn his “wings”. And he did it in splendid fashion by topping the class. Nathan realised his dreams of leading an elite regiment when in 1982, upon his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, was given command of Eighth Rangers, a parachute regiment.

Nathan was diabetic and had been under medication since he was in the army. The debilitating disease impacted his body and soul. When doctors told that his gangrene-riddled right leg had to be amputated he agreed without batting an eyelid. He lost his loving wife, Grace, to cancer in 2005 but soldiered on, nonetheless. Years of medication, however, took its toll. He succumbed to the disease on September 9, 2008 at the age of 68. Nathan left behind three children and seven grandchildren.

By Lt Col (Rtd) Fatholzaman Bukhari in the Ipoh Echo

I got a comment posted in a thread about Obama , an extract, "...your views have on Obama phenomenon has been quite extensively one-sided, no? Maybe you believe the accusation that Obama is a Muslim, or other craps spewed by conservative evangelical Republicans."

My reply to him was:

This post was just for laughs. I know for a fact that Obama is a Christian. I like George Bush, no excuses. Guilty as charged. Did you read the coverage in British newspapers on the elections? The sanctimonious tea sipping yellow teethed Brits were vile towards the Republicans and one sided too. Can you imagine a black man being the PM of Great Britain? No way, but their vitriolic bile towards the USA does not stop.

From my post this, not mine though: "I am seeing an awful lot of euro's telling us we made a brilliant choice, and the best person for the job. That prompted me to leave a comment at the telegraph. I'd like to congratulate the UK on electing the first ever prime minister of African descent. Well done! What's that? They didn't elect one? Oh, I am sorry, my mistake! Congratulations to France for electing a man of African descent to the presidency! What? They didn't either? Oh, I am sorry, it must have been Spain then. No? Hmmm. Germany then! No? What the...? Surely it must be that bastion of multi-culturism, The Netherlands! No? Ummm, Belgium? Portugal? Wait! I know, it was Switzerland! Wait, you mean to tell me, that no one in the EU has ever elected an African descendant to high office? Hmmmm, they sure seem to know that our choice in the US was the best. Perhaps they'll follow their own advice and elect one next time. Otherwise, they'd look like hypocrites - rightside

The USA has proven that it is the greatest nation on earth to give the highest office to a black man. Anyway, you want to say something about the brouha in appointing a Chinese woman as the CEO of PKNS, temporarily? Probably, you should read this article, "If Obama had been a Malaysian"

Then I read a nice expose on Pak Lah's lies in the mainstream media, which quotes him as saying anyone can be a PM of Malaysia. That really tops the mother of all his lies. These are extracts from Malaysiakini written by a very brutally honest person named Richard Teo:

How could anyone from a minority race - either an Indian, Chinese, Iban or Kadazan etc, - be accepted as a PM when the simple appointment of a Chinese woman to be the acting general manager of PKNS could create such a ruckus? Where was our PM when the hue and cry over that appointment took place? Not even a whimper from him and yet he has the gall to tell his audience that 'anyone can be PM’. What about in Perak after the recent general election when DAP won the majority of the state seats?

Instead of a Chinese assembly person from the major winning party being given the menteri besar’s post (which by convention should have gone to the party winning the most seats) it was instead given to Malay assembly person whose party only won a few seats. Even the mere mention of the weaknesses of this policy has brought the wrath of the Umno leadership on the erstwhile former law minister Zaid Ibrahim. Read the whole letter in Malaysiakini here....

What are Hollywood actor/activists going to do in their spare time, now that there's no one to stomp their feet at? - Crusty

I believe Colin Powell did us all a service by switching sides. Powell seems a creature of duty - ever read his principles? I can imagine him believing the Obama administration needs at least one credible ex-leadership person to make sure he doesn't do something really stupid, or fail to do something very critical, militarily speaking. Perhaps Powell could be made Sec'y of Defense? - ErislDysnomia

An Obamite told me today that now all the black kids will have a role model. I asked her what she meant. She said that Obama proves to them that a black man can be president. I told her that there are 54 countries in Africa and that almost all of their presidents are black, which means that as we speak, there are more black presidents serving than all the white presidents who have served since independence. Then I asked her if it wasn't racist to discount them just because they were Africans. It got really quiet - shiek al beif salami

I am seeing an awful lot of euro's telling us we made a brilliant choice, and the best person for the job. That prompted me to leave a comment at the telegraph. I'd like to congratulate the UK on electing the first ever prime minister of African descent. Well done! What's that? They didn't elect one? Oh, I am sorry, my mistake! Congratulations to France for electing a man of African descent to the presidency! What? They didn't either? Oh, I am sorry, it must have been Spain then. No? Hmmm. Germany then! No? What the...? Surely it must be that bastion of multi-culturism, The Netherlands! No? Ummm, Belgium? Portugal? Wait! I know, it was Switzerland! Wait, you mean to tell me, that no one in the EU has ever elected an African descendant to high office? Hmmmm, they sure seem to know that our choice in the US was the best. Perhaps they'll follow their own advice and elect one next time. Otherwise, they'd look like hypocrites - rightside

Choise extracts from LGF

I have posted several articles featuring Captain Mukhtiar Singh, in his efforts to get what is rightfully due to him, his pension. Just so that all you readers out there are aware, Captain Mukhtiar put in a combined service of twenty eight years in the Police Force and in the Army. To be eligible for a full pension, one must serve twenty five years in Government service. Both the Police Force and the Army are Government services! Lt Col Idris has been continously highlighting this old warrior's sad plight, tenaciously..

Mindef had previously pooh-poohed this warrior's request for what is rightfully his, his pension. So what happens? Mindef gets another person, a pawn in this sorry tale. After the sorry tale of Capt (Rtd) Mukhtiar Singh, another ex-serviceman is asking recognition for his 13 years of service with the army. Sukaimi Sungep, 56 said he was virtually on 24-hour call with the army’s communications section, handling mail, telephone and repairing wireless radios. “I worked 30 days a month, even on public holidays, 24 hours a day. The only benefit I got back then was 30 days’ leave for a year. When I retired as a Sergeant in 1985, at the age of 33, my last drawn salary was RM800. “Is that all I deserve? I want some recognition,” Sukaimi, of Segambut told Malay Mail yesterday. He was 20 years old when he joined the Army.

The part that really is underhanded is this reporting in the Malay Mail, "Sukaimi’s case is similar to that of Capt (Rtd) Mukhtiar Singh, 75, who left the forces at the age of 45 in 1978, received a gratuity of RM8,332.50 but was not considered qualified for a pension". There is a vast difference between the good Sergeant and Captain Mukhtiar Singh. Mukhtiar put in a combined whopping 28 years in Government service, both in the Police Force and the Army. The Sergeant, I believe was in the Signal Corps. He is a tradesman. He does not fight in the frontline. For god's sake he repairs radio sets and "field telephones". He is what we Infantry fellers refer to as 'bottle washers'.

Okay the good Sergeant left the Army with his eyes wide open after 13 years. As an 'Other Rank', when you first join the Army you sign on for 10 years with two years in the reserves and one year for the King, which makes a total of 13 years. On the onset of the thirteenth year, you can opt to quit without doing the extra three years by applying to be exempted. If you want to continue, you sign on to 18 years. On the 18th year again, you are given an option to quit, most soldiers sign on to twenty one years to qualify for their pension. Officers advise them accordingly. Once a soldier moves into the 18 year period, Officers vigorously encourage them to continue to the 21st year, as they will get their pensions.

All of this is clearly made known to the soldier. In the case of the Sergeant, no one short changed him, he short changed himself, the lure of the gratuity, probably attracted him to quit as more often is the case amongst young soldiers. We used to advise our young soldiers not to quit at that stage of their careers. At 13 years of service, we still consider them young. He inflicted it upon himself. He became a Sergeant within the span of 13 years as he was a qualified tradesman. Rank in the Signal Corps goes hand in glove with the trade you are in.

The report in 'The Malay Mail' is plain bunkum, dishonest, to compare Sergeant Sukaimi Sungep, 56 years old against Captain Mukhtiar. Captain Mukhtiar was killing Communist Terrorists long before the Sergeant was born or when the Sergeant was just born. In 1956 he killed an Enemy in a face to face confrontation with death, the year the Sergeant was born. He has even captured Communists in the year the Sergeant was born. The Sergeant, for all we know was never shot at by the Enemy. In the Infantry, signallers are Infantryman, themselves, period. The reporter is trying to belittle Captain Mukhtiar who was genuinely short changed of his pension by comparing his case against the good Sergeant. That is beneath contempt and a very lowdown attempt to undermine his efforts in getting what is rightfully due to him.

Probably it is the hidden hand of Mindef to downplay Captain Muktiar's case in cahoots with the reporter, pressuring 'The Malay Mail'. This whole story sounds rather too fishy to me, appearing out of the blue at this point of time and the reporter publishing it without checking the facts and adding her own damming drift at the end. Some how I have this gut feeling that this Sergeant is a 'plant' by Mindef to hood wink the public into believing that, there are thousands of cases like Mukthiar's and there is nothing special about him to warrant a review. Also perhaps MM is under some kind of pressure from the Bosses because this story is just too silly from the point of facts to be printed. I hope and pray that the Police Force in which he has served will not let him down and come through for him, not pooh - poohing him off like what Mindef has heartlessly and shamelessly done.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan has extended a possible lifeline to recognise the contributions of Capt (Rtd) Mukhtiar Singh, 75, in light of his plight at being denied a pension after retiring from the Malaysian Armed Forces 30 years ago. While the Defence Ministry reiterated last Friday that Mukhtiar fell short of requirements to be eligible for a pension, Musa yesterday gave a glimmer of hope to the ex-serviceman, whose hero status was bestowed upon him during the 12 years, five months and four days he had served with the police.

“We understand Mukhtiar’s contributions deserve the recognition that is due to him and we will do our best to help him. “At present, I advise him to see us with all the documentation and particulars he has, dating from the time he was with the police. “In the meantime, we will check our records as to his status, such as the person who employed him, the kind of services agreement he had with the administration back then and whether he is enrolled with our pension programme before a decision can be made on what happens next,” he said in a telephone interview. When contacted, Mukhtiar expressed pleasure at the show of support from the police.

“It is good that they are stepping up to do something about my plight because it shows that they do recognise my services. However, if the police can do that, why can’t the Defence Ministry?” he asked. Mukhtiar had served as a Short Service Commission (SSC) officer with the armed forces for only for eight years, five months and 12 days — short of the 10 years required to qualify for a pension. As such, he was only eligible to be awarded a terminal gratuity of RM8,332.50. Prior to that, Mukhtiar had served as a permanent trainer with the Territorial Army Regiment for four years and 11 months and then as a permanent officer with the regiment for three years and six months, but was not eligible to be awarded terminal gratuity.

In 1982, the government approved a new regulation, which provided that a SSC officer could be a awarded service pension and terminal gratuity if he was to retire upon reaching the compulsory age of 50 and had served for not less than 10 years on or after July 1, 1980. This ruling could not help Mukhtiar to be eligible for pension because he retired on June 12, 1978. The only consolation the Defence Ministry can offer Mukhtiar is to review the terminal gratuity that has been awarded to him. The percentage for terminal gratuity has increased from 10 per cent to 15 per cent under the Regular Forces (Pension, Gratuities and Other Benefits) Regulation 1982.

Chronology Oct 15:Malay Mail reproduces a letter written by Lt Col (Rtd) Mohd Idris Hassan highlighting Army Captain (Rtd) Mukhtiar Singh's plight which was posted on the Seventh Rangers blog (7rangers.blogspot.com)

Oct 17:
More details about Mukhtiar's plight emerge. He had been fighting for 30 years to be eligible for pension. Helped by his friend of over 40 years, Mohd Idris, who is putting together a binder which consists of articles of Mukhtiar’s achievements. With this in hand, Mohd Idris plans to bring Mukhtiar’s story to light through the proper channels, by approaching Members of Parliament and the Prime Minister’s Department. For years, they have written letters and approached the Veterans Affairs Department at the Defence Ministry. But the replies were always the same — Mukhtiar could not receive any pension because he did not attend the “Platoon Weapons” and the “Young Officers Tactics Course”, both of which were held just prior to his retirement from the army.

Oct 20:
Words of encouragement pour in from Malay Mail readers. The well-wishers, comprising retired servicemen and civilians from all races and backgrounds, called on the authorities, in particular the Defence Ministry and Pensions Department, to recognise the role Mukhtiar played in safeguarding the country from the Communists during the Emergency.

Oct 22:
Mukhtiar's plight is highlighted in Parliament by Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong. After Parliament proceedings ended, Wee was approached by an officer from the Defence Ministry who asked for Mukhtiar’s service number, which would be referred to the Ministry’s Record and Pension Directorate. Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry’s assistant director of public relations, Col Fadzlette Othman Merican, said a thorough investigation of Mukhtiar’s case was being carried out by its Record and Pension Directorate.

Oct 23:
Mukhtiar recieves an official response from the Defence Ministry rejecting his claim for pension, citing his non-attendance at two compulsory courses during his tenure in the armed forces. In addition, he was deemed not eligible as he had not served up to 21 years with the Armed Forces. This was because his years of service in the police force prior to joining the army were not taken into account.

Oct 24:After his rejection, the Veterans Affairs Department offers to to help with alternative means of financial aid. Indian Ex-servicemen's Association president Sgt (Rtd) T. Nagarajan contacted the Malay Mail to announce that the association would hold a meeting soon to discuss how it could assist Mukhtiar. While happy for the show of support, Mukhtiar replied: "The issue isn’t about me needing financial aid. It’s about getting recognition for my services to the country. For ex-servicemen like myself, receiving pension is proof of recognition for our contributions." The Malay Mail