On Army chief defends 'stern action' call

Lilian Tan: It's clear that many, including myself, were alarmed when the army chief saw it fit to warn the government to bring racist tensions under control. Then it dawned on me: the government, realising that it has lost its grip on the country, has resorted to this desperate attempt to intimidate the rakyat .

By creating this scenario whereby even a steely-nerved head of the army (we are supposed to quake at the thought of the huge arsenal and many battalions of soldiers behind him) can take it upon himself to openly voice his fears. The real message to Malaysians is to scale back our discontent and demand for reforms.

So there you go – our government is struggling for credibility and has stooped to a new low to frighten us. However, we have come too far to throw away the gains we have made for justice and freedom.

Let's not succumb to our fears (oh yes, the government can threaten all they want but we can choose if we want to be afraid or not) and let the government manipulate us. With courage and calm, we will prevail.

Antares: General Abdul Aziz Zainal, the military chief who earlier this week warned that racial issues were a "major threat to the country", again called for a lid to be put on any troublemakers.

Something smells rotten here. I think it's stale Umno sandiwara . First of all, the only loud noises I've been hearing have been from some Umno throwbacks up north who still haven't accepted defeat after the March general elections and Permatang Pauh.

While Gerakan was in control of Penang under Koh Tsu Koon, these people were quiet. Now that Pakatan Rakyat has taken over and exposed the shocking extent of corruption and abuse of power under BN misrule, it's like some heavy stone has been upturned, causing a huge flurry of panic and confusion amidst the secret colony of tiny critters that have lived under the protection of that stone for decades.

And so, all their angst and anger is being targeted at their former ally, ex-CM Koh, whom they blame for losing Penang to the enemy camp.

That's all these Umno people know how to do: lose an election, blame the leader.

Now does that qualify as "a national crisis in ethnic relations?" Not unless you're really desperate for an excuse to declare martial law - because that may be the only way left to cling on to power even just for a few more months.

General Abdul Aziz, I suggest you relax and don't pretend you're only doing your job. We know life has been good from eight years of Najib Razak as defence minister. Of course, you're required to show at least a modicum of loyalty to Umno because the party has served you well.

However, the ultimate head of the army - the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces - is not Najib Razak but the Yang di Pertuan Agong. Please remember that and be mindful that you are not become anybody's puppet.

On Mixed reactions to suspension

YH: I would be very interested to hear what Anwar Ibrahim has to say about this entire issue. Being the head of the opposition and potential leader of the country, he has been surprisingly very silent (at least, publicly) on this obviously important matter.

Having claimed that he fights for the interest of all the rakyat , I would expect him to come out strongly and protest against the racist rantings that have taken place, regardless of who they are directed at.

Michael Ng: A three-year suspension of Bukit Bendera Umno division chiefAhmad Ismail who caused such a stir in the country with his offensive remarks is just a slap on the wrist.

Instead of going away quietly, he remained defiant to the end. He reiterated that there was no reason for him to retract his remarks.

He was quoted as saying that he accepted the decision to suspend him because it was made by Umno leaders and if it was made by BN he would not have accepted it.

In his press conference following his suspension, his tirade against the former chief minister of Penang continued with unabated venom. This only confirms everyone's suspicion that the previous administration just couldn't keep a tight rein on some of these leaders from a dominant party within the BN coalition.

Hence, on March 8 the people of Penang spoke loud and clear and the Gerakan government was totally wiped out.

Now that a political decision has been taken by Ahmad’s party, the people are anxiously waiting to see if the enforcement of the law will be taken in view of the numerous police reports lodged against him.

Ahmad’s lack of remorse despite the severity of his actions gives the impression that he feels he is someone special and would not be made to face the law as ordinary Malaysians would, should they breach any of it.

There should be no double standards by the relevant authorities. The police and the Attorney General must now proof to the people that everyone is subject to the rule of law in the country.

The people await their wise decision.

On Ahmad Ismail - the one-man wrecking crew

Nation Lover: What we have seen in this episode is exactly how Umno got its support base in the first place. From Razak to Mahathir to Najib to Hishammudin. I can understand the relevance of such sentiments during the initial years of independence when Malays were primarily based in the rural areas and not so strong economically. The show of violence and aggression was a response to ward off potential or perceived threats to the Malay race.

But, in today's day and age when the Malays really do not face any threats since they are economically stable, I just do not see the relevance of Ahmad's form of politics to gain support by insulting and by threatening other races.

If such unruly and riotous behaviour is allowed to continue unchecked in our society, what will become of us?

Dr Hsu Dar Ren: Treat the underlying disease, not just the symptom. The Bukit Bendera Umno leader is just a symptom of an underlying disease. If the disease is not cured, whatever action taken against this leader will only defer the ultimate flare-up of the illness.

There will be many more people in the mould of this leader.

To cure this disease, the various component parties have to disband and adopt a multiracial platform. In such an instance, when an aspiring leader needs to get the support of an expanded multiracial membership to move up the hierarchy of the party, he cannot use race as a campaigning tool and only then can racial rhetoric be removed. Once racial rhetoric is removed, there is a good chance that the people will move toward true unity.

At the moment, race issues are hijacked by certain unscrupulous race-based politicians to move up in their respective race-based parties, and that has resulted in never ending racial tension and potential racial conflict.

Whatever action taken against the likes of Ahamd Ismail will at best be cosmetic and will not really cure the underlying disease of hijacking race as political chips.

But, looking at the BN leadership, do they have the will to disband and become one?

Dorai Dubai: How will this three-year suspension affect Ahmad? I personally think it won’t. Please be reminded that anyone who makes seditious remarks and/or creates tension in the country is always arrested under the ISA. How did Ahmad escape from such action?

Surely, the uproar from across the board would have prompted the prime minister to act?

Writing from overseas: Why are people harping on an apology from Ahmad Ismail? Will they feel better if he says sorry? Everybody knows he is not even repentant so what would be the point? An apology must be offered and not demanded. It should then be followed by a reflection of one’s actions.

I suggest, since police reports have already been lodged against this guy, we should let the issue rest. Wait and be patient. Very soon, there will be widespread change in our country. Maybe then we will get to see some results.

Kaisim: The racist game is a dangerous tool in the hands of selfish politicians. Practically every major Umno politician has used it at some point of his political career. The latest man to use it is none other than Ahmad Ismail, who has not only openly defied leaders and party rules but is unrepentant for his acts. How shameful that in this day and age, such narrow minded people still exist.

On Early elections if Pakatan takes over

Kenny Gan: Pakatan Rakyat’s plan to hold early elections if it takes over the federal government is certainly laudable to dispel questions of morality and breach of democratic principles.

Such a move will return the mandate to the people to choose their representatives and also remove political debts arising from the defections of lawmakers.

Pakatan Rakyat has much work to do to level the playing field before calling for new elections. For a start, earnest efforts must be made to free up the media. No free and fair election is possible with a totally controlled media which becomes a propaganda machine for the ruling party come every election.

Other necessary acts include cleaning up the electoral rolls to remove phantom voters and streamlining postal votes to prevent abuse. All Malaysian citizens overseas should be able to take part in postal votes while unnecessary postal balloting within the country should be removed.

The Election Commission must be reformed to become an impartial body. In the Permatang Pauh by-election, the EC showed its partisan leaning by setting polling day on a working day, an act which it has never even bothered to justify.

Given Pakatan’s declared intention to call early election there is no more reason for anybody to take the moral high ground on defections. Every Malaysian should support Pakatan’s bid to take over the government for a better Malaysia while the window of opportunity remains open.

To wait until the next general election would mean sitting helplessly for another 4 years while untold damage is done to the country and there is no telling what tactics a desperate regime faced with the threat of losing power will employ. We must understand that this opportunity may never come again.

JKS: There is so much righteous advice against MPs switching sides and there are attempts to disparage them as ‘frogs’.

But remember what happened to the fabled frog that didn't jump out of the slowly boiling water? It made yummy frog soup!

Moral: A slowly deteriorating country is like slowly boiling water. Don't stay paralysed until it's too late. Frogs in that position should jump.

On Ops Sept 16: PKR four off to Taiwan

CH Siew: What's happening in Malaysia today never fails to amuse me, especially now that September 16 is drawing near.Mysteries unfold every day.

First the Backbencher’s Club members were sent to Taiwan. Now four PKR members are going to meet them there. Do I smell a conspiracy here? Is the organiser of the Taiwan trip a potential defector?

I can't wait to see what's going to happen next.

On Nik Aziz excited about Dr M rejoining Umno

CH Siew: Every time I read about news on Nik Aziz, he never fails to amaze me with the level of wisdom he has. It is true that empires fall not because of external attacks but the rot from the core. It will definitely be very interesting to see what Dr Mahathir will do to Umno.

Pak Nik, you are right. Some times honour should be put aside for the greater good. With what is going on in BN nowadays, it is clear that the longer they hold on to power the worse off Malaysia will be. To push Malaysia to new heights, it is necessary to have BN removed and it is the duty of all loyal Malaysians to do so.

On Report lodged against Khir Toyo for stirring up 'azans'

Maran: It is not surprising to see Khir Toyo joining in efforts to create racial disorder. If what he is alleging is true, he should lodge a police report against the Pakatan government of Selangor or Teresa Kok.

I challenge him to prove that Teresa Kok led a group to submit a petition requesting for azans to be toned down. If he cannot prove his claims, he must quit politics. Do the rakyat a favour, Khir and stop looking for cheap publicity.

Tim Finian: Not too long ago, a former Selangor MB (whereabouts unknown) was suspected to have been instrumental in inciting race-riots that put Malaysia on the world-map for the wrong reasons. Through divine intervention, he later paid the price for his folly by being jailed for corruption.

Today, we have another former MB who seems to have inherited that same racist streak. 'Kicked, punched, stirred, shaken and beaten to a pulp' in the last general elections, thus denying him a decent platform to spew his vitriolic venom, he has humbly resorted to blogging to spread his homemade concotion of facts distorted, stories imagined, incidences fabricated and comments exagerated.

Describing bloggers as "talking nonsense" when he was weilding reckless power in the MB's seat, today, this man has been forced to eat the same humble-pie he held with contempt and ridicule.

On Shares for Indians: Gov't agrees to work out mechanism

CH Siew: I am very impressed with Samy Vellu. Even when he lost his seat during the elections, he is still working very hard to safeguard the rights of the Indians in Malaysia. Now Indian contractors can work hand in hand with Malay contractors in infrastructure projects. I always say, if you want to win back the trust of the people, show them that you are really working hard for them.

Samy Vellu was gracious enough to refuse entry into the government by special appointment. He does not need any appointment at all to work for the people. Shouldn't we be grateful to such a man who is willing to sacrifice for his race?

On FT Imam Ramlang transferred

The Management Guru: Here's a lesson on how to fire people.

Since you can't just fire or cut the pay of a person willy-nilly without attracting an industrial court action, the best way is to transfer him to a closely monitored, desk-bound job where he needs to clock in under the watchful eyes of the boss.

You could also perhaps make him part of a ‘Special Projects’ unit, or better yet, be responsible for the office stationery.

If this still doesn't work, have him fill in a time sheet detailing what he did in 5 minute blocks of time.

If this don't work, make sure you yell at him in the open office space for any small mistake he makes.

If this don't work, have the person report that 5 minute block to a junior of his. In this case, preferably the cleaning lady.

Ramlang, I feel for you. May you have your wits with you as you go through this.