mrBadak.com

I think someone should tell the FRU (Federal Reserve Unit) to order more teargas and chemical-laced water into their store as it seems Malaysians are getting bolder in bringing their grievances onto the streets. Just like the BERSIH gathering 2 weeks ago, the HINDRAF movement didn’t get any police permit for the much-publicised planned gathering to hand over a memorandum to the British High Commission yesterday but they went with it anyway.

Pak Lah really has his hands full now and with the general election to be held soon, it will be BN’s hardest and most difficult election yet.

I had mixed feelings watching the Al-Jazeera video, for sure the government cannot ask everyone to keep their opinions within their hearts and just voice it out during election. They should be honest to themselves that they cannot quell any dissatisfaction with teargases and water cannons. The last thing you want in this country is a group of discontented people bringing their “struggle” underground and start a terror campaign againts the public like the use of bombs (hey, if the police can smuggle explosives out and explode a person in the jungle, what more a terrorist can do?).

The government should give the public a free, open and unbiased channel to discuss things properly and without any intervention. Anyone remember the Inter Faith Commission that has been swept under the carpet?

Video after the jump.

Anyway, on a lighter but serious note, here’s a video of Al-Jazeera getting the views from our Information Minister Datuk Zainuddin Maidin, just listen to his terrible English - you can read the transcripts after the video.

What follows is a transcript of the telephone interview that Malaysia’s Minister of Information Zainuddin Maidin (ZAM) gave to the Doha-based TV Network Al-Jazeera (AJ) over the 5.00pm bulletin yesterday, moments after the BERSIH memo was delivered to Royal Palace at the close of the biggest anti-government protest in Malaysia in ten years.

ZAM: ….I commend your journalists trying to project, to exaggerate more than what actually happened. That, that, that, that’s it. We, we are not, the, the — and I, I congratulate your journalists behaving like an actor, that, that’s —

AJ: As you say that, sir, we’re watching scenes of protesters being sprayed by chemical-filled water …

ZAM (interrupts) : Ya, I am watching, I hear, [?] …. trying to do it everywhere but in Malaysia people are allowed, to, you know [?] … Police have allowed the procession to go to the Istana Negara, you know, do police, first police, like, they handle them, they [?] them, they … the police don’t, don’t, don’t fire anybody …

AJ: Our correspondent came back to the office, sir, with chemicals in his eyes!

ZAM (speaking over her): … You, you, you, you are here with the idea, you are trying to project, what is your mind, you think that we are Pakistan, we are Burma, we are Myanmar, everything you, you are thinking …

AJ: Well unfortunately when you refuse to let people protest, it does appear so.

ZAM (speaking over her): …Ya, ya, we are not like you, you have early perception, you come here, you want to project us like undemocratic country. This a democratic country!

AJ: So why can’t people protest then, if it’s a democratic country?

ZAM (interjects at “protest then”): Ya, people protest, people then — first they protest, we are allowing protests, and they have demonstrated. But we just trying to disperse them and then later they, you know, disperse, but later our police compromise. They have compromised and allowed them to proceed to Negara. Police, our police have succeeded in handling them gently, right? Why do you report that and you take the opposition, someone from opposition party you ask him to speak, you don’t take from the government, right?

AJ: Why did you not break up these protesters –

ZAM (interrupting) : Pardon? Pardon? Pardon?

AJ: Why did you not break up these protests more peacefully?

ZAM: I can’t hear you. I can’t hear you.

AJ: Why did you not break up these protests more peacefully?

ZAM: No we, we are, we, this protest is illegal. We don’t want, this, the, normally … (slight pause, then continues to talk while she interjects)

AJ (interjecting) : OK, so let me return to my former question. Why is this protest illegal?

ZAM (babbling on): Ya it’s illegal protest because (AJ: Why?) we have the election in Malaysia. It’s no, no point on having the protest, we are allowing to have every, an election every five years, never fail. We not our like, are not like Myanmar, not like other country. And, and you are helping this. You Al-Jazeera also is helping this, this forces, the, you know, these forces who are not [?], who don’t believe in [?] …

AJ (seems to want to say something, but decides not to): I don’t … many thanks for joining us.

ZAM: I don’t, ya, you, Jazeera, this is, is Al-Jazeera attitude. Right?
(she doesn’t reply. In the background, the chants of the protesters fill the silence)
Transcription by me, and I take responsibility for errors — in fact, if anyone can help me fill in the [?]’s, that would be helpful (email).