THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin, Nov 2007
Now you see it, now you don't. Yes, people like David Copperfield
make a very good living doing silap mata. The English call it magic.
Actually it is more a sleight of hand. The hand moves faster than the
eye, they always say, so while they make you focus on one hand, the
other hand does the 'magic' trick. Malays call it silap mata, which
translates literally to 'fault of the eye'. Whatever it may be, and
whatever language you are comfortable with, the main gist to the
whole thing is: what you see is not what you get -- or in 'computer
language', WYSINWYG.
And today the Government of Malaysia tried doing a David Copperfield
on us.
"Tuanku Mizan Regrets Claims He Supports Illegal Rally," screamed the
Bernama headlines. The Malay version said, "Tuanku Mizan Kesal
Dakwaan Baginda Sokong Perhimpunan Haram." Both versions can be read
below.
Wow! To the layman this sounds very serious indeed. A very 'high-
ranking' Istana Negara official named Datuk Wan Mohd Safiain Wan
Hasan and going by the title of Datuk Pengelola Bijaya Diraja has
issued a statement of behalf of The Agong. Who is this guy anyway?
Well, this guy holds the position that Jeanne Danker used to hold
before she dislodged the Raja Permaisuri Agong to become Malaysia's
so-called 'First Lady'. Actually, the Prime Minister's wife is maybe
the '22nd Lady' after the Raja Permaisuri Agong, the consorts of the
nine State Rulers, the four Undangs, the four Governors, followed by
the few ex-Raja Permaisuri Agong still living. But the government-
controlled media would like us to believe that the Federal
Constitution of Malaysia is wrong in placing 21 other ladies above
the Prime Minister's wife.
This Wan Safiain chappie hails from Terengganu and works for the
Prime Minister's Department. In fact, the entire office of the Istana
Negara comes under the Prime Minister's Department. I remember
relating an incident which happened way back in November 1999, a few
days before the Tenth General Election.
In November 1999, I was tasked with the job of delivering a letter
from Barisan Alternatif to the Istana Negara requesting an audience
with The Agong then, my uncle. I delivered the letter at noon on
Friday and went off to the mosque for my Friday prayers. When I went
back to the office around 2.30pm there was a reply waiting for me in
the fax machine turning down our request for an audience, with a
suggestion that we try again after the general election. Our letter
was addressed to The Agong. The reply came from the Prime Minister's
Department. The Agong never got to see the letter and was not even
aware that one had been sent. And that was probably the fastest reply
ever from a government department in Malaysia's entire history.
So now we know how the Istana Negara office works. The office comes
under the Prime Minister's Department and the people in that office
are planted there by the Prime Minister's Department to be the eyes,
ears and sometimes mouth of the government as well. And today we saw
an example of how it has become the mouth of the government. Today's
announcement by the Datuk Pengelola Bijaya Diraja, not the Keeper of
the Royal Seal but the Keeper of the Royal Linen a la Jeanne Danker
before she became 'First Lady', is a prime example of how these
plants from the Prime Minister's Department are the eyes, ears and
mouth of the government.
That is why it was not wise to quietly deliver the BERSIH Memorandum
to The Agong. If that had been done, then the Memorandum would have
been hijacked and would have been diverted to the Prime Minister's
Department instead -- and The Agong would have never seen it. And
that was also why it was necessary for 100,000 citizens to march to
the Istana Negara to 'escort' the Memorandum -- although only 50,000
eventually got through because they sealed off all the roads into
Kuala Lumpur which resulted in one of the worst traffic jams in history.
This Datuk Pengelola Bijaya Diraja chappie is a most unpopular
personality in the Palace office. Everyone in the Palace office knows
he has been planted there as the eyes and ears of the government. And
his job is not only to keep a watch on things and report back to the
Prime Minister's office whatever is happening in the Palace, but he
has also been tasked with the job of frustrating every effort of The
Agong in interacting with the rakyat (citizens).
Today's press announcement did not come from The Agong. It did not
even come from the Keeper of the Royal Seal whose job it is to make
official statements on behalf of The Agong. It came from a glorified
chamber maid planted in the Palace as an enemy in the blanket. These
are the worst kind of slime-balls and scumbags. They smile and call
you friend. Then they stick a dagger in your back.
100,000 rakyat wanted to meet their Monarch that afternoon of
Saturday, 10 November 2007. The Agong did not say no. The Agong will
never say no to 100,000 rakyat who wish for an audience with His
Majesty. The Agong just wanted to know how many people will be
representing the 100,000 rakyat and what their names are.
The Agong also realised that the government will certainly try to
frustrate the effort of the 100,000 rakyat who wished for an audience
with His Majesty. And this did happen. The government said that a
police permit would be required and that the organisers should apply
for one. So the organisers did, but the application was rejected. And
the government warned that if the 100,000 rakyat still insisted on
pursuing the march then the government would retaliate with force.
And the government did as promised.
When the first volley was fired on the assembled marchers around the
Masjid Jamek-Masjid India area, word was passed down the line that
the 19th Brigade of the Royal Malay Regiment or Regimen Askar Melayu
Di-Raja (RAMD) was on stand-bye, to move in if there are any fatal
casualties. Fourteen armoured cars (kereta perisai) had earlier
arrived from Sungai Petani and were parked at the Sungai Buloh
military camp, ready to roll at a minute's notice. It would take them
ten or fifteen minutes to arrive at the scene of any violence against
the rakyat.
Panic buttons were pressed and alarm bells rung. This had happened
once on 13 May 1969 in Kampong Baru. The Royal Malay Regiment is not
one to mess around with. The Agong is their Commander-in-Chief and
soldiers are trained to obey their Commander-in-Chief at no
consequence to their own lives.
The police backed off. They were reduced to traffic control where
those positioned at junctions stopped cars to allow the marchers to
safely cross the road. The RAMD remained on standby and the next
morning the fourteen kereta perisai quietly slipped out of Sungai
Buloh and went home.
This has worried the government. The Agong did not say he did not
wish to meet the representatives of the 100,000 marchers. He in fact
asked for their names. And when the government issued threats of
violence against the marchers, the 19th Brigade of the RAMD was
brought into Kuala Lumpur with fourteen kereta perisai. This was The
Agong's way of saying that if you shoot the marchers, just like you
did in Batu Burok in front of The Agong's palace in Kuala Terengganu,
then all hell will break loose.
So the government backed off. They had no choice. The 100,000 rakyat
wanted to meet The Agong and His Majesty had said yes. And the 19th
Brigade of the RAMD came to town to ensure that yes means yes.
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi issued a decree at the Umno General Assembly
the day before the Saturday, 10 November 2007, march. He said he
'pantang dicabar'. This translates to mean he is allergic to being
challenged. And his son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, asked the police
to arrest all the marchers. Yes, arrest all the marchers. Arrest all
1,000 of them! Arrest all 2,000 of them! Hey, even if it is 5,000,
arrest all 5,000 of them. But wow, it is 50,000 with another 50,000
on the way. How to arrest 50,000, or 100,000 if the other 50,000
reach Kuala Lumpur?
Oops, forget about arresting them. 50,000 is too large a number to
arrest. There are not enough trucks to ferry 50,000 and not enough
jails to house 50,000 people. Instead, close all the roads leading
into Kuala Lumpur. Seal off Kuala Lumpur and not allow anyone in. Let
it remain 50,000. Don't allow it to grow to 100,000. Then we will
announce we won. We will announce that the march failed and the
'illegal demonstrators' were prevented from assembling at Dataran
Merdeka.
Shit, now we are told that they never intended to assemble in Dataran
Merdeka in the first place. The Dataran Merdeka thing was a decoy, a
Red Herring. They wanted the police to assemble in Dataran Merdeka so
that they can march unhindered to the Istana Negara. We were tricked.
They won. We lost.
Okay, all is not lost. We can still announce that The Agong is not
happy with the march. We will announce that The Agong did not agree
to the march. We will announce that The Agong did not consent to the
march. That will give the perception that we won and the 100,000
marchers lost. And we will get the head of housekeeping to make that
announcement. After all, he is our plant in the Palace. He is our man
and on our payroll. And, since he carries this very impressive title,
no one will know he is just in charge of making the beds and not
actually anyone important.
Oh yeah? Well, Malaysia Today knows. And Malaysia Today knows that
most in the Istana Negara regard him as a slime-ball and a scumbag.
And anything he who makes the beds says does not matter as long as it
is not The Agong himself who said it. Try again guys. Maybe you will
have better luck next time. And please, don't ask that slime-ball and
scumbag to make any statements if you want us to believe that it is
really The Agong who is saying it.
Tuanku Mizan Regrets Claims He Supports Illegal Rally
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 16 (Bernama) -- Yang di- Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan
Zainal Abidin has expressed regret over claims that he and the Palace
approved and supported Saturday's illegal rally in the city.
In a statement issued here today by the Datuk Pengelola Bijaya Diraja
of Istana Negara, Datuk Wan Mohd Safiain Wan Hasan, the King also
regretted the gathering which was organised by the Coalition for
Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) and supported by the opposition
parties.
Tuanku Mizan stressed that he and Istana Negara had at no time
approved or given any support, directly or indirectly, to any
quarters that organised or was involved in the illegal assembly or
any other activities that contravened the law.
On Saturday, Bersih, which comprises several non-governmental
organisations, as well as some opposition parties had gathered their
supporters at various spots in the city, including around Masjid
Jamek, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and the National Mosque, before
marching to Istana Negara to hand over a memorandum to Tuanku Mizan.
The following Monday, PAS secretary-general Datuk Kamaruddin Jaffar
said Bersih had decided to submit the memorandum to the Yang di-
Pertuan Agong after the ruler himself approved of it, and that the
presence of Bersih at Istana Negara was to hand over the memorandum
to the King's representative.
In the statement, Tuanku Mizan said as the head of state, he was
responsible in ensuring that the country's administration based on
the constitutional monarchy system, as enshrined in the Federal
Constitution, was respected and adhered to by all.
He hoped that the people would act in accordance with the law and not
be involved in any illegal action or activity.
"Every Malaysian citizen is responsible for maintaining public order
for continued peace and stability in the country," Tuanku Mizan said.
The King also hoped that the people would together work at preserving
unity and harmony to ensure that the country would continue to
develop, prosper and be respected.
Meanwhile, Wan Mohd Safiain said that Istana Negara, for the first
time, summoned the media to publicise the content of the statement as
the King viewed the matter seriously.
"Normally, Istana Negara would issue a statement via facsimile but
this time, we had to call the media here to ensure that the King's
message reaches the people," he added.
Tuanku Mizan Kesal Dakwaan Baginda Sokong Perhimpunan Haram
KUALA LUMPUR, 16 Nov (Bernama) -- Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan
Zainal Abidin melahirkan rasa kesal dengan dakwaan kononnya baginda
dan Istana Negara memperkenankan dan menyokong satu perhimpunan haram
di sini Sabtu lepas.
Dalam satu kenyataan yang dikeluarkan oleh Datuk Pengelola Bijaya
Diraja Istana Negara Datuk Wan Mohd Safiain Wan Hasan hari ini, Seri
Paduka Baginda juga melahirkan rasa kesal dengan perhimpunan itu yang
dianjurkan oleh satu kumpulan dikenali Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih
dan Adil (BERSIH) yang disokong parti-parti pembangkang.
Dalam kenyataan itu, Tuanku Mizan menegaskan bahawa baginda dan
Istana Negara tidak pernah pada bila-bila masa jua memperkenankan
atau memberikan apa-apa sokongan secara langsung atau tidak langsung
kepada mana-mana pihak yang menganjurkan atau terlibat dalam
perhimpunan haram itu dan apa-apa jua kegiatan lain yang berkaitan
yang menyalahi undang-undang negara.
Sabtu lepas, BERSIH yang disertai oleh badan-badan bukan kerajaan
(NGO) dan parti pembangkang mengumpulkan penyokong-penyokongnya di
beberapa tempat di sekitar ibu kota termasuk Jalan Masjid Jamek,
Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman dan Masjid Negara sebelum berarak ke Istana
Negara bagi menghantar memorandum kepada Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Isnin lepas, Setiausaha Agung PAS, Datuk Kamaruddin Jaffar, berkata
dalam satu kenyataan bahawa BERSIH mengambil keputusan menyerahkan
memorandum itu kepada Yang di-Pertuan Agong setelah Tuanku sendiri
memberikan perkenan Baginda, dan kehadiran BERSIH ke Istana Negara
pada hari Sabtu itu, adalah bagi menjunjung perkenan Tuanku untuk
menyerahkan memorandum itu kepada wakil Baginda.
Tuanku Mizan bertitah sebagai Ketua Utama Negara, baginda
bertanggungjawab untuk memastikan bahawa prinsip sistem pentadbiran
negara berlandaskan prinsip Raja Berperlembagaan seperti yang
termaktub dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan sentiasa dihormati dan
dipatuhi oleh semua.
Baginda berharap agar rakyat Malaysia sentiasa bertindak dengan
mematuhi undang-undang negara dan tidak melibatkan diri dalam apa-apa
juga kegiatan atau tindakan yang menyalahi atau bertentangan dengan
undang-undang negara.
"Setiap rakyat Malaysia bertanggungjawab untuk memelihara
ketenteraman awam demi menjamin keamanan dan kesejahteraan negara,"
titah baginda.
Seri Paduka Baginda juga berharap agar rakyat dapat bersama-sama
mengekalkan semangat persaudaraan dan perpaduan demi membina negara
yang lebih makmur, bersatu padu dan dihormati.
Wan Mohd Safiain pula berkata pihak pengurusan Istana Negara buat
pertama kalinya memanggil media untuk menghebahkan kenyataan ini
kerana Yang di-Pertuan Agong memandang serius perkara itu.
"Kebiasaannya Istana Negara mengeluarkan kenyataan melalui faksimili,
tetapi kali ini terpaksa memanggil media untuk memastikan ianya dapat
dihebahkan kepada seluruh rakyat," katanya.
P.S. Datuk Pengelola Bijaya Diraja Istana Negara, Datuk Wan Mohd
Safiain Wan Hasan, IC No: 461214035359, is an UMNO member, membership
No: 03728983, from Cawangan Taman Desa Minang, Gombak Setia, Gombak.
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