Old fears in new clothing

Recent events seem to suggest that the authorities are digging in and taking a harder stand. Now that DPM Najib is assured the premiership, we are hearing about the - gasp! - second coming of Dr M.

A South China Morning Post report that was carried by Malaysian Insider quotes opposition MP M. Kulasegaran, "We fear with Abdullah's departure and the return of hardliners like Dr Mahathir to prominence, political repression is back on a scale not seen in the last five years." The MP sees the recent spate of arrests as “the beginning."

Was March 8 a fluke?
Is there no way to break out of the Matrix?
Does the sun rise every morning?

RPK surprise!

RPK FREED!

In his decision, Justice Syed Ahmad ruled that the grounds for the detention order by the Home Minister did not fall under the scope of Section 8 (1) of the ISA.

“Therefore, the Sept 22 detention order is unlawful,” he said.

Cynics jeer. Skeptics sneer. Marina's in tears. All people of goodwill cheer!

Obama makes history!

Obama wins! Barack Hussein Obama beat Republican rival McCain to become the 44th US President in one of the most closely watched and bitterly fought presidential elections. It's not a landslide win as some say (Obama beat McCain by 52 percent to 46 percent) but it's an historic day as Obama becomes the nation’s first African American President, a true child of the civil rights movement, whose achievements can be traced back to the legacy of men like Martin Luther King:

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

It’s 45 years from the day Martin Luther King first electrified Washington with his speech. Today, whatever detractors may say of the world’s “last superpower” and its internal contradictions, the US has demonstrated it has not lost sight of its creed. Indeed all men are created equal, and anyone who loves his country and aspires to the nation’s highest office can achieve it. Now there's a lesson for Malaysia.

Links:

Obama’s victory speech:
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. (More)

McCain’s concession speech:
In a contest as long and difficult as this campaign has been, his success alone commands my respect for his ability and perseverance. But that he managed to do so by inspiring the hopes of so many millions of Americans who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence in the election of an American president is something I deeply admire and commend him for achieving. (More)

.....and conservative Bill Dyer's congrats:
God bless you and keep you, sir. I have been among your harshest critics, in good faith I hope, and I will continue to speak out when I think you're wrong. I pray for the grace, though, to acknowledge those times when you are right, and for the decency to accord you with the full respect that is due to anyone who holds the office which you are about to embark. (More)