Newspapers out of Budget 2015?!

Right off the the bat, you had something in mind. You thought about what would benefit your close relatives. You thought about what would benefit that poor fellow who stops at your station every morning. You thought about what are the challenges your future sons and daughters would have to put up with. What you would be aware of however, is that by the end of the day, neither of you would reap the benefits, because the Budget would not reach out to your woes.

This is not to shed a negative light on the idea of a "people's budget". As seen from the Budget 2015 discussion, there are a few key notes to be concerned of:

1. A Pan-Borneo highway is proposed, for the sixth time
2. BR1M (aid vouchers) is now increased, to soften the blow of high-rising prices
3. Petrol and diesel are exempted from GST.
4. Civil servants as well as pensioners would get a meager pay raise.
5. Newspapers are exempted from GST.

Understandably, it's bitter-sweet until it is known that the ruling about newspapers raises more than just a curious eyebrow. Just think of the last part for a gander. Newspapers; ie, info print-outs of Malaysia - are not charged of the infamous GST, a tax rate to obtain additional funds for governmental projects.

It goes without saying that this is an attempt in reverse engineering. It is a known fact that every mainstream paper across this country is a monopoly controlled by certain political affiliations. This causes a polarized media network with an even more polarized target audience. With the mainstreams being pro-government, the indies and the Opposition partisan papers would be perceived as anti-government (although they insisted on unbiased journalism). Due to the need of a governmental license for print media, such lone rangers could not publish in print and thus rely on the infinite Internet to get their messages across.

Since most of the print media in this nation are heavily biased and would cherry-pick out the nasty bits of dirty politics, as seen below.

Didn't notice it, nope.

And the nation was totally cool uncool with it

The irony is stunning

With the government raking in a no-contest income by publishing news prints featuring advertisements and government-approved articles nationwide, it is easier to spot the greed when it is announced that their papers won't be GST-charged. So as more Malaysians could afford their papers and their propaganda, so as much they can be manipulated.

There are other matters to raise in the budget, but most of the media have covered them well. What the media failed to cover however, is the insidious bias that the government had when they exempt prints from GST.

Now that we know our freedom is being chipped away, don't sweat it. Freedom should never be a part of the budget as it's meant to be - FREE!

Post by Free Speech Malaysia.

The Dark Sedition Act Rises

Everyone's been talking about the Sedition Act, which never fails to make headlines over what some politicians may say about it, and who has been arrested due to its nature.

Say something nasty about me. I dare you.

A new and daring group, the Eastern Theory, have joined forces against hundreds more against the unpopular law. On the grounds of vagueness and prejudicial biased use of arresting dissent, the group have been laying influence across Sarawak, especially since the law was not repealed as promised by the Prime Minister.

With the raising concern over a growing authoritarian government, it is now time to raise the question whether or not the law itself should exist in the first place, considering how it was meant to replace a historically nastier law - the ISA.

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Say NO to a Police State!

With all the posts regarding on free speech issues and the attempt to silence dissent, the fear of turning Malaysia into a police state seems inevitable.

The game card that is often played to snuff out dissent is the infamous Sedition Act 1948. It is an easy-to-read act that threatens jail terms for those who questions issues that are labelled as "sensitive", say the Malay supremacy, Malay language in schools, etc. In other words, it is the replacement for the Internal Security Act, which pretty much worked similarly.

To question its use and to repeal the act seems to be a difficult task:

I would think it is best to avoid challenging this matter - Shad Faruqi, law academician

For all the nation should know, there is no idea or opportunity to progress from this act, as no one seems to care for its potent danger. The reason why it all mattered in the first place was the fact that our dear PM promised so.


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Indie newspapers confiscated - again?

Suara Rakyat (Voice of the People) is an independent pro-opposition daily newspaper under the Parti Keadilan Rakyat, or the People's Justice Party. The paper aimed to reach out to rural areas up north which has less accessibility to the Internet for information.

There is a need for a publication print in Malaysia. Some say it is a way to provide legitimate information from the publications, others say it's an attempt to silence dissent or anti-government news. SR has always took a stand in question the government's actions, and thus was not granted a proper permit for many years now.

With that being said, the papers were confiscated recently due to the lack of permit, which was caused by a refusal to serve papers that went against their interests.

Despite the bleak news, there is a sign of optimism among the distributors:

It's a futile effort as information will still reach the rakyat, even if they keep confiscating over and over again - Alor Setar PKR secretary Peter Jayabalan

The government is responsible to uphold the freedom of speech as constituted in Article 10. The bigger question is, if silencing dissent was not their aim, why does it have to be so tough for them to blatantly renew permits?

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Laziness and Race?

"Don't jump to conclusions without thinking" - The 4th PM of Malaysia

Former Prime Minister Dr Mahatir Mohamad has caused a major stir across the nation ever since he made a strange speech regarding laziness and the Malays.

As much as he is well-respected for his time of keeping order in the nation, the 89-year old ex-minister has a colorful record of making odd statements in the past.

You see the Japanese, they have a lot of shame, not ashamed of being naked, but shamed of failure. If they fail to fulfill a duty, they commit suicide (during the war era) - Mahatir Mohamad

The speech sparked a social media outrage. Unlike most PR advisers would have recommended to take it back and apologize, he went all out and stood by his opinions.

"If we go to university, 70 percent are women. Where are the males? What are they doing? They become Mat Rempit... that is why I say not hardworking. Even when they go to university but do not learn properly"

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God and Politics

As based on an article by FZ by author Palani, despite its decades of multiracial harmony, has some red lines that could not be crossed on theological grounds.

Jill Ireland, a Sarawakian Christian who got in trouble after her audio CDs containing the word "Allah" were confiscated on the grounds that only Muslims are permitted to utilize the word.

The usage of the word Allah as an interpretation of the word God may cause confusion, religious sensitivity and disharmony between the Muslims and the Christians - Senior Federal Council (SFC) Munahyza Mustafa

 The public was polarized with the issue, with foreign opinions disagreeing with the word exclusivity:

To the locals who detest the right of others:

Provided the locals are born and raised not to question faith, it is only a matter of time before another clash in point is met among the multicultural faiths in Malaysia.

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Malaysian Thoughtcrime?

A recent surge in arrests and sedition reported have put Malaysia in the unfavorable spotlight for being less democratic and more police state-like.

The Sedition Act of Malaysia is now a subject of discourse, for the law has been used constantly for petit, if not biased "crimes".

From liking a Facebook page to a practical joke, numerous "crimes" reported raises the question of order in Malaysia, and how does the people respond to the issue of freedom of speech and seditious acts.

The bigger problem lies in the act of charging people jail time for expressing dissent or disproving opinions.

Ironically this one gets a free pass.

While there are blatant evidence to support jail terms for certain opinions, the law happens to work based on pick-and-choosing. Even inside jokes and what people do in private could be convicted of what George Orwell  could call "thoughtcrime". For what one thinks, one can be convicted and condemned:

With the numerous jail terms carried out, our actions are now subjected to a lot of policing and there come threats of jail in the name of hurting anyone's feelings. This is a symptom of a nation torn in half based on beliefs and policies. It is just a matter of time before everything becomes a sensitive matter and most of our liberties be subverted to maintain "peace and order".
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