Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Syed Ali Al Habshee's warped argument

Cheras Umno division chief Syed Ali Al Habshee's argument is baffling. He has every right to launch a campaign fund to support Utusan Malaysia to defend itself against the RM30mil defamation suit filed by DAP's Teresa Kok. As a fellow journalist, I would also not want to see another newspaper or journalist being sued. Like Rocky Bru, I share similar sentiments. No one would also argue with Syed Ali's plan to buy loudspeakers for mosques and suraus. It is good of him to do so, really. But the statement by the controversial politician who was quoted as saying that Teresa Kok had challenged the honour of the Malays by suing Utusan as it was a newspaper owned by the Malays is out of line. He must be a very confused person. Newspapers get sued practically everyday by various interest groups. He went on to say that "challenging the Malays is similar to challenging Umno." It is such racial posturing by politicians like Syed Ali that caused Umno and other BN component parties to lose massively in the elections. Politicians like Syed Ali and Ahmad Ismail should stop playing small time communal heroes. Those days are gone and these little warlords should be hauled up by the party leaders, who can see the larger picture, I am sure. Teresa Kok has every right to seek justice and fair compensation, particularly when the mosque involved has defended Teresa Kok, saying she wasn't involved. But that is for the court to decide. But we should be very concerned with politicians who fan racial sentiments ahead of party elections, without regard to the implications of such racially divisive statements. They continue to do so because they believe they can get away with it and the reality is that they get away with it most of the time. It is such arrogance that pissed off Malaysians who want see fair play. For the record - Syed Ali called for my sacking as the editor at an Umno general assembly because I questioned Dr Mahathir Mohamad's record in fighting corruption during his 22-year administration. So much for someone who cares about press freedom.

28 comments:

Vesu said...

someone must closely monitor the collection of funds-its people's money. i am afraid abuse of public funds in the name of Allah. can these people trusted? are they so desperate for publicity? ..

Unknown said...

DEAR WONG,

YOU ARE SPOT ON.

ALL RIGHT THINKING MALAYSIANS CONDEMN IN THE STRONGEST POSSIBLE TERM THIS RACIST UMNO LEADER WHO IS A GREAT LIABILITY TO NATIONAL UNITY AND TO UMNO ITSELF.

HIS MORONIC AND RACIST REASONING IS INDEED SHOCKING!!!

YOU ARE RIGHT. THIS TYPE OF RACIST REMARKS BY UMNO LEADERS WILL CONTINUE BECAUSE NO STERN ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN BY THE NATIONAL LEADERS AGAINST THIS RACIST MINOR LEADERS.

IF THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR WILL TO CONTINUE, IT IS CERTAIN THAT COMPONENT PARTIES LIKE MCA AND GERAKAN WILL BE WIPE OUT IN THE NEXT GE DUE TO THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH UMNO.

SAD BUT TRUE.

Anonymous said...

A very fair statement. It all depends on the main purpose of the funds to be collected. Is it an expression in the spirit of press freedom ? If there is a freedom to print there should be a freedom to sue. What is Rocky Bru supporting ? Freedom of the press or UMNO supremacy ?

Julian said...

Wong,

Perhaps he'd add another reason for you to be fired: Questioning the Malays' records in fighting corruption.

I'm sick of politicians who use the word "race" whenever they need to speak. I marvel at how they'd just equate everything to "questioning/challenging/oppressing" the Malays.

We do not have any problems with the Malays but only leaders such as these!

On another note, if a newspaper publishes inaccurate reports leading to negative repercussions, the fella on the receiving end has every right to sue. So, if it's fact-based and objective, why worry?

Fifty years on and I still see such people. Even I have already grown up.

Anucia said...

I couldn't believe what I was hearing when I watched the news that day. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his logic...
Sometimes people shouldn't strive to be so simple..

Anonymous said...

Leaders like Syed Ali do not have principles at all but raw emotion which only be good for those movies where people go only to see effects and not the story.

Anonymous said...

"He must be a very confused person"

Rightly put it, sir

Anonymous said...

Malay newspapers are read by everyone these days. That is the reality. Some Malays are also able to read Chinese papers too which is why these venacular newspapers must also be sensitive and not take strong racial postures in their coverage. Via the Internet, everyone is also able to read anything and everything that people say about our country. A simple Google search shows that he has more than 3,000 entries already. Not bad for a small warlord from Cheras. :)

sinnersaint:saintsinner said...

Chun Wai

These fellow reminds us of KKK in the US..... they Malays should kick their butts for fanning up crap....

UMNO should bar him. Where is Syed Hamid Albar, why is not throwing the ISA on these idiots??????

shalom

ahoo said...

Bro, he is just following his leaders lah ! Birds of the same feather flocks together can't be wrong. In any case, the way he argued is way out of line and that shows his actual mentality too.

He is just one of the warlords that cries foul to shore up support and make a stand for his own kind. To be popular amongst his supporters. It surprised me that many of the arrogant leaders from their camps are actually not the true blood malays but the clone type that wanted so desperately to be more malay than the majority of malays.

Anonymous said...

Syed Ali is blinded with ignorance and arrogance. How could he possibly defend the irresponsibility of a private enterprise? With politician like him in UMNO, what sound changes can be expected from this racist party. Fortunately, times have changed, the more educated malay folks are beginning to see, they were short changed. Many now, especially the younger generation, want a change in govt...and, a change is inevitable.
Men like Syed Ali, Ismail Ahmad will find their homes in the rubbish bin.

Anonymous said...

In utusan's case, it's not a matter of media freedom. It's about the media being used as a political tool to harm an innocent MP. utusan was used as a political tool by its masters to smear Teresa Kok, and later used as the basis for unjustly arresting her under the draconian ISA.

The media is supposed to be the fourth estate, the bastion of TRUTH and JUSTICE that reports without fear or favour. Where is utusan's truthfulness and fairness in this matter? They didn't even bother to check the facts before accusing Teresa. These accusations have since been found out to be false, as even the mosque leaders have come out in defence of Teresa.

Furthermore, utusan continues to demonise Teresa as anti-Islam and anti-Malay, which is clearly not the case. Ask Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who has vouched for Teresa's character. Also, Teresa gave utusan time to apologise, which they refused to do so and have instead continued to demonise her at every chance -- so who can blame Teresa for suing them?

utusan's malicious behaviour has even led to molotov cocktails being lobbed into her parents' home. How can anyone defend utusan's behaviour in this matter? The facts already show that utusan is clearly in the wrong, so why don't they apologise and make this suit go away?

In a nutshell, YES, the media must be given the freedom to report the truth without threats of repercussion but the media, especially in Malaysia, must NEVER be used as a tool of political masters to harm the innocent.

I call upon the public to reject the racial ploys of self-serving politicians, reject the return of mahathirism, reject the ISA, and to BOYCOTT UTUSAN UNTIL IT OFFERS A FORMAL AND UNRESERVED APOLOGY TO TERESA. JR

e n g said...

'''As a fellow journalist, I would also not want to see another newspaper or journalist being sued. Like Rocky Bru, I share similar sentiments.'''

But Datuk, Utusan published something so sensitive which were labeled as lies by KOK herself. And the same article also caused her to be in ISA for days!! Enough to say that Utusan is no ordinary newspaper, it has some backing from the dark executives.

Based on these, do you still share the 'similar' sentiments ??

BUT You also said '''Teresa Kok has every right to seek justice and fair compensation, particularly when the mosque involved has defended Teresa Kok, saying she wasn't involved. But that is for the court to decide. '''

So do you still share the 'similar' sentiments that newspaper should not be sued??

What would you advice KOK to do if not to sue UTUSAN?

** i have read so many ppl would disagree with KOK but none provided any answers **

Anonymous said...

SATU LAGI PENIPUAN SYED ALI
Sila baca Syed Ali tipu UMNO di www.budakkualalumpur.blogspot.com/2008/05/syed-ali-tipu-umno.html
Dia ni kaki bodek NO 1 negara.Pemimpin syok sendiri.
Dia ni memang niat tak baik.Harap Utusan jangan terpedaya.

Anonymous said...

Apa dia buat sebagai Ketua UMNO Chearas selama ini ? Dia suka berselindung dibawah ketiak Yayasan Cheras.
Pemimpin yang tak beradab.
Dulu dia dibawah ketiak Mahathir, kemudian dgn Pak Lah dan sekarang pula hentam Pak Lah untuk kepentingan diri sendiri.Cuba chek sejarah dialah.

Anonymous said...

Syed Ali manusia bertopengkan Racist....

Unknown said...

It really scares me that there are politicians who are always eager to play the race card and create ethnic tensions. TK suing Utusan is a civil suit. As an ordinary Malaysian I welcome it because it will allow the courts to objectively decide if Utusan was right or wrong in the matter. Utusan does NOT = Malays or Islam - so the said politician should just stop talking kok (pun intended).

Anonymous said...

What do you expect when our country is run by such low mentality people who call themselves leaders of ???????

What levels are the ???????

Gosh I can never imagine.

Anonymous said...

That was exactly what I thought when I first read the statement online and then again in the newspapers today. Was he trying to incite racial unrest? Haven't we had enough of the "this thing is Malay" and "that thing is anti-Malay"? Who cares if a newspaper company is sued? Just happens that it is Utusan doesn't mean it is an anti-Malay or anti-Umno thing. Such a no brainer.

Anonymous said...

Dato Wong,
Why would these small time warlords refrain from playing the racial card when:-
1)Their masters don't reprimand them which indirectly gives them the green light to light some racial fires to show they are doing their job.
2)Their own masters also do the same thingy.

Don't you see the double standards being played out; the victims go to jail while the instigator is only given a slap in the hand.
Wake up my fren...

Anonymous said...

I fully support Teresa Kok's action to sue Utusan Malaysia. Utusan Malaysia's willful and malicious intent to lie about Teresa, resulting in her arrest and detention, as well as Utusan Malaysia's actions in fanning racial hatred resulting in petrol bombs thrown at her family property and more threats to her, is nothing to do with press freedom. It is the abuse of the press owned by a racist political party. Teresa Kok has no power ot use the ISA to throw the editors of Utusan Malaysia in prison, unlike the owners of Utusan Malaysia who has such powers. So the only avenue she has is to use a civil suit to teach Utusan Malaysia a lesson. Pleasenote that until today, Utusan Malaysia has continued a continuous barrage of hate articles against Teresa Kok, and continued racism. Despite the mosque having issued an official statement to clarify that the accusation was false, Utusan Malaysia has never apologized to Teresa Kok for printing a false piece of news. It almost seems like the owners of Utusan Malaysia is using the paper to continue fanning racism, possibly as a tool to prop up support for its party, which is almost like an equivalent of the KKK, except that here they don't even need to wear masks.

Anonymous said...

Freedom of speech is not the same as freedom to defame. If Utusan defames soembody, that somebody has the right to sue Utusan. The press is not above the law.
And not only did Utusan defame somebody, it is even fanning racial hatred. So why is the police not acting impartially, and arresting the responsible persons under ISA. Not that I support the ISA, but if you wanna have ISA, then use it impartially. The whole affair stinks, and is reflective of the decadence of the UMNO government.

Anonymous said...

Vesu,
Can anybody in UMNO be trusted with funds? Just look at their track record for the answer.
ABU(AnythingButUmno)

Anonymous said...

Chun wai,

Syed Ali is the same man who went on record in Aljazeera asking Pak Lah to step down immediately after the March 8 elections. he is trying to be a hero lah..

Actually he is a zero trying to be a hero.

And Chun Wai, how can you share a sentiment which says don't sue although a deliberatly wrong report has tranised an MP's image and nearly destroyed her life? I am surprised.

Chun Wai, Rocky is now working his way back to helm the NST through Najib - it's so damn obvious. Don't blindly support him. Out of the more than 300 comments in his blog on this subject, about 290 whacked him out of shape.

That is how man Malaysians, irrespective of race, feel about Syed Ali's move.

Anyway, like Shah Rukh Khan, did you not also get a Datukship from Malacca?

Democrat

Anonymous said...

Don't be surprise if the mosque in question does a "Balan-gostan". Just watch and see.

BlueMoon said...

Bro. Wong, Unlike Rocky Bru, your version on freedom of speech is to give but not to take. You label someone as racist but refuse to accept when others called you by the same name. Reading your blogs I hardly notice any freedom at all. You only publish comment when it favours your opinion. Let me repeat my posting which you had earlier thrashed: suing anyone with the itention of permanently crippling or silencing them is worst than ISA. Theresa Kok is indeed very lucky. If shw wins then she will be multi-millionaire. Thanks to ISA!

ChengHo said...

UMNO need a few more leaders like Syed Ali . we preach freedom of expression why complaint??

Anonymous said...

bro,

apapun hang cakap, hang tulis, aku tetap kata :

Miss Terasa Kok = Racist!!

***rpksucks****

ps: kalau berani, siarkan komen aku ni