Meanwhile in Myanmar

So, Raja Petra Kamarudin is free. Good for him. Meanwhile, in Myanmar, the situation is still dire.

The junta is refusing all help except material aid and aid workers are left scrambling to get visas which are hard to come by. In several airports across Asia, Myanmar military attaches vet those going aboard aid flights to weed out the media and other undesirable elements.

The U.S. is considering dropping aid directly to the Myanmarese, or Burmese if you prefer, as the junta has yet to give its nod for American aid flights. Why? To preserve power ahead of a national referendum on a new constitution still planned for May 10.

The Siber Party of Malayisa (M) believes the junta needs a kick in the pants and more. It needs to be booted out for all that it has done, and not done, since taking over power nearly 20 years ago despite elections that brought in a new democratic government.

Obviously the lessons of 8.8.88 has yet to be learnt.

Obviously the junta believes that keeping Myanmar in its iron grip despite the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis and its thousands of deaths is better than opening up to aid from the world.

Obviously they are afraid they will fall to the possibility of democracy.

Despite the stubborn junta, the world has to help the Myanmarese people. Now in the aftermath of the disaster and after that to ensure the junta does not isolate the nation from the rest of the world.

Cyclone Nargis might have killed thousands, thanks to the incompetence of the junta, but might it also herald the end of the junta and bring about change for the better, not unlike the Sedition Act and Raja Petra Kamarudin.

Only from chaos can order come. And perhaps democracy.

Sedating the Seditious

Raja Petra Kamarudin. Citizen. Cyclist. Campaigner.Writer. Blogger. Jailbird.

Everyone wants a piece of him. The bloggers. The government. The party. The family. They all got him now. Hero, conscience and prisoner in one fell swoop when he refused to pay bail for his freedom to face trial in October.

A lot has been said and the so-called blogosphere is buzzing. Fact is, he used the medium of the Internet to publicise his conspiracy theories, allegations and innuendoes about the Mongolian model murder without much facts. He says he has the facts.

The court would be the best place to sort out the fact from fiction. But the Sedition Act 1948 is the wrong method of bringing him to account for his story. Those at the wrong end of the stick should have gone to court and sued him for defamation, libel and being brought to public odium and contempt.

That the police have to step in and get the prosecutors to charge him in a criminal court will only enhance him among his supporters and readers. This is a purely civil case similar to the Universiti Utara Malaysia's case against Raja Petra.

It would not be about the payment. It would be about name and honour. Right and wrong.

The MP for Pulai put it well. Charging Raja Petra under the Sedition Act will not sedate the seditious nor a cheap way of deleting the allegations.

The Siber Party of Malaysia (M) believes it does not take a hammer to swat a fly for the cracks are far-reaching. This is not a matter for the state but the people involved to do the deed themselves.

Raja Petra. Hero. Malaysia. Zero.

Live Aid

At a time when food security, minimum wage, global oil prices are issues that dominate the news and our thougts, we have parliamentarians who want to spend money to see themselves on the idiot box.

While we come the live broadcasts of Question Time, and to see ourselves act like never before, we are wondering whether the benefits is worth the cost?

Information Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek mentioned a monthly cost of RM3 million apart from the RM9 million paid to Telekom Malaysia for the line. RTM also spent RM1 million for three cameras in the Dewan Rakyat to cover the live proceedings.

Dudes, dudettes, there is something fishy about the cost. Especially at a time when every sen saved can go towards ameliorating the cost of staple items for the rakyat especially when it IS the rakyat's money.

Since I wasn't in Parliament - the Siber Party of Malaysia (M) is sending its lawmakers for etiquette courses on how to wave the Standing Orders Book (a little blue book not quite unlike the little blue pill called Viagra - makes you stand long long time), I have yet to read the written answer.

But this is what I think. There is only 16 days of Dewan Rakyat this session which ends May 27, so why is the production cost phenomenal?

The three cameras have already been costed, the staff cost is the normal wage cost, there is no need for additional lighting, and transmision cost is not that expensive especially when Parliament House has a 10MB internet pipeline connected by Telekom Malaysia.

Even if one has to use the huge outdoor broadcasting (OB) trucks, the transmission cost cannot be more than RM2,000 for each 10 minute block and RTM does get preferential treatment being a state broadcaster. And there is always Celcom Broadcast which has been known to provide discounts.

Therefore, apart from the King's Royal Address and the Swearing-In ceremony on the first day (did you see us? did you see us?), a 30 minute transmission of Question Time would only cost about RM6,000 or maybe slightly higher if RTM decided to use 40 minutes of time as a precaution.

Therefore, for 16 days or so, it should come to about RM100,000. And if one was to include electricity costs and maybe some miscellenous costs including tea breaks and the crappy parliament food, it still wont come to RM1 million a month.

We call upon the Minister to come clean and give us a breakdown of costs. If the transmission costs is prohibitive, the money can be used elsewhere for the good of the people or defrayed through advertising breaks.

The amount mentioned is obscene. We cannot live just by entertainment seeing our elected representatives crack absurd jokes or perform awfully on screen. Let's use the money for something better.

Therefore, in our efforts to save money for something better, the Siber Party of Malaysia (M) will not add a video to this post. Go entertain yourself with someting better ;)