Lim Kit Siang on Malaysian mega scandals

DAP stalwart, Lim Kit Siang speaks about Malaysian "mega scandals" during the Ops Scorpene Fund Raising dinner in Penang yesterday.

Video by: Jimmy Leow (CJ.MY)

TEAR GAS Prevention, Protection & Remedies

Prevention:

For most healthy people, the effects of tear gas and pepper spray are temporary. However, for some people the effects can be long-lasting and life-threatening.

People with the conditions listed below should be aware of these risks and may want to try and avoid exposure. Please be aware that in intense actions, police behavior can be unpredictable, and avoidance is not always possible.

Conditions:

• Folks with respiratory diseases, such as asthma, emphysema, etc. risk exacerbation, or permanent damage if exposed.
  
  
  
• Vulnerable people such as infants, the elderly, and the immune compromised, risk intensified and possibly life-threatening responses.
  
  
  
• Anyone with chronic health conditions or those on medications that weaken the immune system, (ie: chemotherapy, Lupus, HIV, radiation, or long-term corticosteroids such as prednisone) risk exacerbation of illness, intensified response and possible delayed recovery.
  
  
  
• Women who are or could be pregnant, or who are trying to get pregnant, may be at risk of spontaneous abortion, or increased risk of birth defects. 
  
  
  
• Nursing mothers risk passing toxins on to their infant.
  
  
  
• Folks with skin conditions (ie: severe acne, psoriasis, or eczema) and eye conditions (ie: conjunctivitis or uveitis) risk an intensified response. 
  
  
  
• People wearing contact lenses may experience increased eye irritation and damage due to chemicals being trapped under the lenses.

Protection:

• Avoid use of oils, lotions and detergents because they can trap the chemicals and thereby prolong exposure. Wash your clothes, your hair and your skin beforehand in a detergent-free soap (such as Dr.Bronner's or most eco-friendly products). 
  
  
  
• We recommend using a water or alcohol-based sunscreen (rather than oil-based). If your choice is between oil-based or nothing, we advocate using the sunscreen. Getting pepper sprayed on top of a sunburn is not fun.
  
  
  
• We also recommend minimizing skin exposure by covering up as much as possible. This can also protect you from the sun, as can a big hat.
  
  
  
• Gas masks provide the best facial protection, if properly fitted and sealed. Alternatively, goggles (with shatter-proof lenses), respirators, even a wet bandana over the nose and mouth will help.

How to deal:

• STAY CALM. Panicking increases the irritation. Breathe slowly and remember it is only temporary.
  
  
  
• If you see it coming or get a warning, put on protective gear, if able, try to move away or get upwind.
  
  
  
• Blow your nose, rinse your mouth, cough and spit. Try not to swallow.
  
  
  
• If you wear contacts, try to remove the lenses or get someone to remove them for you, with CLEAN, uncontaminated fingers.
  
  
  
• DO NOT RUB IT IN.

Remedies

We have been doing trials with pepper spray to find good remedies and have found some things will definitely help minimize the discomfort. None of these are miracle cures; using these remedies will help people to feel better faster, but it will still take time.

For the eyes and mouth: 

We recommend a solution of half liquid antacid (like Maalox) and half water. A spray bottle is ideal but a bottle that has a squirt cap works as well. Always irrigate from the inside corner of the eye towards the outside, with head tilted back and slightly towards the side being rinsed. It seems from our trials that it needs to get into the eye to help. This means that if the sprayed person says it's okay you should try to open their eye for them. They most likely won't be able/willing to open it themselves, and opening will cause a temporary increase in pain, but the solution does help. It works great as a mouth rinse too. 

For the skin: 

We recommend canola oil followed by alcohol. Carefully avoiding the eyes, vigorously wipe the skin that was exposed to the chemical with a rag or gauze sponge saturated with canola oil. Follow this immediately with a rubbing of alcohol. Remember that alcohol in the eyes hurts A LOT. Anyone whose eyes you get alcohol in will not be your friend.

Secondary treatments can include: spitting, blowing your nose, coughing up mucous (you don't want to swallow these chemicals!), walking around with your arms outstretched, removing contaminated clothing, and taking a cool shower. In fact, it is essential to shower and wash your clothes (this time in real detergents--no eco-friendly stuff here) as soon as you are able. This chemical is toxic, and will continually contaminate you and everyone around you until you get rid of it. Until then, try not to touch your eyes or your face, or other people, furniture, carpets etc. to avoid further contamination. 

Remember, it is only temporary, and we are extremely strong.

(Courtesy of starhawk.org)

Fairus Detained by MACC

If he is corrupted then he has to pay the price. Of course, many will say that MACC acted so efficiently when the suspects are from the opposition parties. What about Khir Toyo, Norza, Azalina, and so many others? Since Fairus is from PKR, MACC jump queue, quite understandable, if you catch my drift. 

Well, as far as I am concerned, the Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng had opened said in his speech on the 8th March 2009, that anyone in his administration found to be "lacking" in the commitment to the state or to the people of Penang will be taken out. 

Like I mentioned in my previous post the other day, it was definitely fishy when Fairus went on leave without the knowledge of his superior Lim Guan Eng and Anwar Ibrahim had to "apply" the leave for Fairus.

Initial, it was fishy but now it really smells. I just hope that he will come out clean.

Malaysian Insider JOHOR BARU, March 26 — PKR’s Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin, who has been embroiled in graft allegations in Penang, has been detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission for questioning.

The Penang Deputy Chief Minister I was stopped by Immigration officers at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex at about 11 last night.

He was subsequently handed over to Johor MACC officers.

Johor DAP deputy chief Norman Fernandez, a lawyer, was among Pakatan Rakyat leaders who rushed to the CIQ last night on hearing the news but was unable to speak to Fairus.

Fernandez said Fairus was taken to the Johor MACC headquarters in Air Molex at about 2.45am.

MACC investigating director Datuk Syukri Abdul told The Malaysian Insider that Fairus was detained only to facilitate investigations into allegations of illegal activities with quarry operators in Penang.

Opposition Leaders Barred from Visiting Schools

By the way, I stay next to a government school and I have never once had a glimpse of any big shots from the Ministry of Education who came to the school or heard from my children of such visits. If the ministry of education does not want to visit the schools, it does not mean that the state government should not! Even if they are from the DAP, PKR or PAS for that matter.

Why? MOE is afraid that the Opposition officials will put bad influence into the students' brain. Look, your teachers have been preaching all things good and proper for the ruling party for so many years, why worry?

Maybe if MOE would care to send some representatives to visit and take note of the problems the students and the teachers are facing nowadays, it would have solved a lot of issues such as bullying, gangsterism, smoking, violence, and vandalism. Most importantly is to understand the standard that the students are in right now. Please come and ask the headmasters or headmistress about the issues that are giving MOE the bad name. 

So, if MOE disallow all Opposition party leaders to enter the government schools, maybe you should also bar all the parents who voted for the oppositions too. And maybe, you should not allow those students whose their parents voted for the oppositions to study in the government school too. How absurb can you get?

Malaysian Insider: Selangor's elected leaders from Pakatan Rakyat are barred from visiting government schools in the state, according to a directive issued by Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

In an education department list on who can attend official events in all schools in the state, Pakatan Rakyat leaders names are glaringly missing.

The education department letter's list was issued to all school headmasters in Selangor earlier this month. 

Anwar Ibrahim in Bukit Gantang, Perak.

Video taken from Malaysia Kini TV.

Will Elizabeth Wong say,"Thanks Khalid, but no thanks."

With the political turmoil brewing in other parts of country, the UMNO general elections and the coming PKR vs BN by elections in Bukit Selambau, Bukit Gantang and Batang Air, anyone able from the Opposition, with two hands and legs and a keen sense of putting the people's interest in mind, is definitely needed to add on to the numbers to the Opposition's camp. Most of us know that the coming by elections are "designed" to ensure that mass support from the Opposition camp is minimized at each constituency.

With several opposition big guns under fire, PKR will be wise not to sacrifice another hardworking and influential assemblywomen like Elizabeth Wong to beef up the strength of the opposition party. 

Elizabeth Wong being the Bukit Lanjan assemblywoman had offered her resignation following semi nude photos of her being published in the Internet in February 2009. She was then asked to take leave to cool things down until the state of Selangor decides her fate. 

Those under fire are Karpal Singh for the Sultan suing thing, Nizar still in court fighting for his Perak MB title, V. Arumugam of Bkt. Selambau missing in action, Gobind slapped with a one year suspension for calling DPM Najib Razak a murderer, Penang DCM Mohamad Fairus taking leave without any reason (smells fishy) and Anwar with the sodomy case, let me see, who else? Oh yes, finally, the Tree of Democracy. In this case, the more is definitely not the merrier.

We need our voices to be heard in the Dewan Rakyat and by the rate the Opposition reps are going, we will be out of them by end of this year. If you are not in the Dewan Rakyat, then you are no use to us as we don't need your voice outside the Dewan Rakyat, we need your voice inside, numb skull!

In the last general elections, voters like me had provided the opportunity for the Opposition to have a "louder" say, but if you guys do not know how to "behave" and use your "common sense" to get things around BN, then you are not tuned to the 51 years of BN control. 

I guess I am a little off track here, so coming back to Elizabeth Wong, it is crucial that she still have the urge to represent the people again, end of the day, it is still her decision to accept or reject the final conclusion from the state of Selangor. Anyway, she should put aside her personal issues and come back with a stronger and wiser Elizabeth Wong.

SHAH ALAM, March 20 — Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said today he would make an announcement on the status of state executive councillor and Bukit Lanjan assemblywoman Elizabeth Wong on Wednesday.

He told this to reporters after chairing the weekly state executive council meeting today.

Wong had offered to quit as assemblywoman and exco following semi-nude pictures of her surfacing on the Internet last month but was asked to go on leave instead until the Selangor government made a decision as to her political future.

On the restructuring of the water industry in Selangor, Abdul Khalid said the state government was still negotiating the matter with the federal government and was confident any differences between the two parties could be resolved amicably. — Bernama

8th March 2009, One year of Pakatan Rakyat in Penang

Photo taken by Lilian Chan

The sky was gloomy, it drizzled a little earlier in the evening, but it was all cool and nice after 8:00pm. My Citizen Journalism course mates, Lilian Chan, Lim Boo Seng, Lucia Lai and I, mingled among the crowd and took some feedbacks from people with regards the performance of the new government in Penang, at Esplanade yesterday.

The ADUNs and assemblymen of Pakatan Rakyat celebrated a year of control in Penang with the rakyat. 8th March 2009, marks a year of change, "a change where we can see, feel and touch", said the Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng.

In addition to this, Lim Guan Eng and his team has pledged to eradicate hardcore poverty as Pakatan Rakyat never forgets this group of citizens.

It was found in a recent detailed survey that there are approximately 1,000 families who earn RM 400.00 a month and these families will be assisted accordingly.

Lim Guan Eng also mentioned that the Penang has attracted RM 10.5 billion foreign investment and has broken all records within a year of Pakatan Rakyat's control. He promised that his team will now work even harder to move forward and there is no turning back.

Worth to mention that we were fortunate to have a few moments with Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng at the end of the event.

MACC, whose catspaw?

Just one day after Lim Kit Siang labelled MACC as the catspaw of UMNO, MACC pulls out a rabbit from the hat to somehow counter the DAP strongman's comment. Nevertheless, it is yet to be seen if the "latest catch" will ever be prosecuted by the arms of the law. Who's law? UMNO's law? If so, probably nothing will happen, things will just slide away from the public's view and forgotten.

On Wednesday, a senior aide to an Umno minister was nabbed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission on for suspected graft. It has learnt from informed sources that the political secretary to the minister was stopped with more than RM50,000 in his car.

In January, MACC officers picked up 12 UNMO divisional officers as they were alleged to be distributing between RM 300 to RM 500 to some of the delegates who will be attending the general assembly-cum-elections.

Based on the MACC history of investigations on money politics in UNMO, none were found with corrupt acts related to the party election eventhough there were bread crumb trail of claims that money has been exchange.

How typical of a Malaysian political scene.

Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 — Calling the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission an Umno catspaw, opposition leader Lim Kit Siang today criticised the anti-graft body for clearing claims of money politics in Umno while harassing the Perak state speaker for abuse of power.

"Congratulations to the MACC chief commissioner for clearing Umno of all allegations of the corruption of money politics — which must have even caught Umno leaders, delegates and members by surprise that Umno is so clean, pristine and pure!," Lim said in a statement, referring to Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan's comments that no cases of money politics have been found.

Ahmad Said, who had earlier said there is evidence that Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim had abused power over the donation of 46 cows and use of his Lexus car, also got into hot water for claiming that Perak Speaker V. Sivakumar had abused his power by calling for an emergency assembly sitting.