Rather than stick to a conventional but financially safe approach, Sheila and Tiara Jacquelina have adopted innovative but risky steps to make themselves different and thus make Malaysians sit up and notice them. 

Sheila is known for her classy, jazzy genre while Tiara Jacquelina has created history – Puteri Gunung Ledang: The Musical has enjoyed a successful encore season. 

It is a record in the making for Malaysian theatre to have a second season after the first one; and more so when every night has been sold-out. 

The principal cast has remained the same with Tiara Jacquelina as the gutsy Puteri and Stephen Rahman Hughes as Hang Tuah, the warrior. 

Like the first season, the organisers have noticed that at least 30% of the audience have consistently been non-Malays. 

There are many who watched the movie – and also both runs of the musical – and have not become tired of this RM1.8mil production. It has already set the record for being the longest-running local musical. 

Everyone loves a love story. This one is about forbidden love between Hang Tuah and the mystical princess Gusti Raden Ajeng Retino Damilah. 

When the princess rejected the advances of Sultan Mahmud, she was banished to Gunung Ledang, or Mount Ophir as it is sometimes called. 

As a way of saying no to him, she insisted that she would marry the Sultan only if he built a golden bridge and a silver bridge linking her mountain to his palace. He was also to send her seven trays of mosquito hearts, seven jars of virgins' tears as well as a bowl containing the blood of the Sultan's son. 

The story goes, until today, that the spirit of the princess continues to roam the mountain in Johor. 

But the musical is a truly Malaysian work. The creative team comprises talents like Roslan Aziz, Zahim Albakri, Saw Teong Him and Mac Chan while the musicians are equally multi-racial with names like Jason Voo, Abdul Malek Kanasabathy, Eric Lee, Pearly Ng and Mohd Rizad Mohd Kasim. 

More than 30,000 people watched the first season, and this season's run attracted another 26,000 people. But all are predominantly from the Klang Valley. 

It is a shame because the musical deserves a bigger audience. People, especially those in Penang and Johor Baru, would love to watch it but there are simply no theatres with good acoustic and lighting systems in those cities.  

But Singapore always recognises a good thing when it sees one. While we debate whether we should extend the business hours of clubs in Kuala Lumpur to cater to tourists, we are not even thinking of securing government backing for musicals. 

Singapore is doing just that. They carry out massive publicity campaigns on their world-class theatre shows and concerts but in Malaysia, it is just a private venture. Unless you have deep pockets or you have sponsorship from mobile phone companies, you are entering a risky business. 

Which businessman would want to put a multi-million ringgit deal for a night's concert where you can run foul of the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry for even the slightest flaw? 

Well, a 20-man delegation watched PGL: The Musical last week, approached the organisers, and insisted on signing the papers on the spot. There was no need for the series of endless meetings that we are famous for. 

So, PGL: The Musical will soon be performed at the Esplanade in Singapore. This is the sad part. Many Malaysians still haven't watched the musical and are still sceptical when told that it is of West End standard. 

They find it hard to believe – after all it is only a local production – and in any case, we can find millions of ringgit to build a sports training centre in Britain but we will never put money to build good theatres. 

Malaysians who missed the show will now have to travel to Singapore to see it, which is really a pity. Let's hope it will do a third season in Kuala Lumpur, perhaps during the school holidays next year as part of our run-up to the 50th Merdeka anniversary. 

This is a show we can be proud of. Just before the musical's curtains went up last week, the audience stood up to sing the Negaraku. I could feel goose pimples as the crowd sang the national anthem. 

Patriotism does not mean putting up the Jalur Gemilang for the municipal council officers to see. To put it simply, many wrap the national flag around their hearts and we love Malaysia just as much. 

And it is not just listening to politicians but supporting a local project, sometimes just a musical or a CD, but let's do a good job instead of just making empty rhetoric that we want to be of world-class standard. 

THE words have become harsher and louder. There is no longer talk of getting Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to come together to end their feud. 

Over the past one week, both sides have taken their slugging to a different height. For the former premier, the tone has become more personal. No one is spared, not even family members and minor players in the high stakes political spat.  

The usually soft-spoken Pak Lah, too, has become more combative. His choice of words has also become more powerful. He has used words like iblis (devil), fitnah (slander) and hina (insult). Last week, he challenged his critics to prove their allegations and "if there is none, then be prepared to face the consequences". 

He has also served notice to bloggers and political websites who had attacked his leadership on a daily basis. 

The volume has been turned up because the fight has become more intense, even vicious. In short, it has now reached a point of no return. 

There is no more elegant silence as Pak Lah, Khairy Jamaluddin and their supporters take off their gloves. Pak Lah had initially allowed the ministers to do the talking but he has now adopted a forthright approach, taking on even the most difficult issues, including allegations against his family members. 

The many issues brought up on websites were at first ignored but as the rumour mill went overboard, creating doubts and confusion among Umno grassroots members, Pak Lah must have felt that he needed to tackle these head-on. 

On Aug 7, the Umno president appeared on TV3 to answer several allegations that had been hurled at him. His critics have, however, said the answers have created more questions. 

Pak Lah and Dr Mahathir have now taken their cases to the Malay heartland, as Umno's 191 divisions hold their annual general meetings. 

Dr Mahathir has even started to send letters to Umno members to state his case against the administration. 

The campaign to win the hearts and minds of the Umno delegates is crucial as these are the 2,000-over delegates who will attend the annual general assembly. 

Khairy, who has one of the highest numbers of invitations, is certainly one of the most sought after speakers. 

Not only has he answered the allegations directly, bringing these rumours into the open, but he has taken on two key backers of Dr Mahathir – Kelantan politician Datuk Paduka Ibrahim Ali and former political aide Matthias Chang, accusing them of influencing Dr Mahathir. 

In Khairy's own words, answering the allegations has formed a critical part of his presentation, as party members "want to hear it from the horse's mouth". 

Not only do Umno members want to hear from their leaders, many also want to pose questions to those named in websites and blogs. 

But there are also those who want to hear Dr Mahathir. Petaling Jaya Utara division did just that last Saturday. 

They circumvented the directive that only supreme council members and mentris besar could open their meeting by getting Dr Mahathir to speak before they started their meeting. 

Dr Mahathir's backers have pushed for him to speak at the assembly while Pak Lah's men have blamed him for splitting the party. 

His strongest supporter, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, has for the first time described Dr Mahathir as Umno's biggest opposition, pointing out that even PAS, DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat have stayed out. 

On Saturday, Nazri called on Dr Mahathir to refute a report in a Singapore newspaper, which alleged that Dr Mahathir wanted to topple the Prime Minister. Not one to mince his words, Nazri revealed there was disunity in Umno now. 

Even certain senior Umno leaders who have been cautious in their remarks, as they had worked under Dr Mahathir previously, now feel that they need to rebuff Dr Mahathir openly. 

The biggest worry is that if Dr Mahathir were left unchallenged, the opposition would benefit the most in the next general election. 

Umno vice-president Tan Sri Muyhiddin Yassin said the opposition could play the tapes of Dr Mahathir's criticism in the next polls. They need not even make speeches, Muhyiddin said. 

They also do not want cracks to appear in Umno, although delegates have traditionally supported the incumbent. 

There have also been worse scenarios previously when Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim brought his campaign to the streets. 

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah went even further. He took several senior Umno leaders to form Parti Melayu Semangat 46, which was supported by Tunku Abdul Rahman. 

What is different this time is that the fight is from Dr Mahathir, a leader who has led Malaysia for 22 years. For many in Umno Youth, this is the only leader they know. 

They have been taught to revere him. He was a man who could do no wrong and now, they find themselves in an unusual position of having to rebuff him. Worse, some who have apple-polished him have taken a different role. 

But there are also those who used to criticise Dr Mahathir for his seemingly dictatorial ways have now paired up with him. 

As they say, there are neither permanent enemies nor friends in politics. The incumbent will always have the upper hand – that is the reality. 

Over the next few weeks, as Umno leaders criss-cross the country, the decibels will get louder. There will be no room for fence-sitters and Umno leaders will be expected to make their stand known.  

But for outsiders, they will follow the statements of Umno leaders closely, even nervously, hoping the feud will not get out of hand. 

The general consensus is that if the squabble is prolonged, the country's economy and political stability will be affected. 

Given the softening of the economy in many sectors, the hope is that we can get on with our attention on the economy. Time waits for no one.  

Last week, the report made it into most national newspapers with one television station interviewing several political figures as a follow-up. One Umno Youth leader questioned the accuracy of the survey.

But a similar finding of the survey, if not the same, had been made last year shortly before the inaugural National Congress on Integrity in July. The report had said that about 31% of students in public institutions of higher learning said they would take bribes if they were in positions of power and had the authority.

The study, it was reported, involved 8,000 individuals, out of whom 650 were university students. The study was commissioned by Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi when he was deputy prime minister and chairman of the Special Cabinet Committee on Government Management Integrity.

It was coordinated by the Anti-Corruption Agency and conducted by academics from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Universiti Utara Malaysia.

Last week's news reports basically reaffirmed what most Malaysians already know.  We have become so used – if not immune – to corruption that it did not even spark off a controversy.

But herein lies the danger. When corruption is regarded as an acceptable way of enriching oneself, then it becomes a culture. Once that is entrenched, it is much more difficult to fight the scourge.

Let's be frank. The government cannot fight graft by setting up institutes and conducting seminars. The Integrity Institute of Malaysia can create awareness but wrongdoers – the corrupt and those who abuse their positions – need to be fearful of the authorities.

The lack of political will and the seemingly powerless ACA do not help in the battle against corruption.

Legislation can act as a deterrent but real enforcement is the answer. No one can inculcate integrity, that's for sure. Worse still, when low-level civil servants feel that accepting small bribes is justified because they perceive the powerful ones are doing the same and getting away scot-free.

It is not just in Malaysia but in many countries, where individuals whose backgrounds are tainted by corruption and criminal breach of trust, are no longer shunned by society but accepted and even welcomed.

Some continue to keep their titles even after serving jail sentences.

When that happens, what kind of message are we sending to our young people? These actions of ours, rightly or wrongly, give the impression that taking and accepting bribes is all right. Just don't get caught.

A survey by the Merdeka Centre last year reported that one in three Malaysians would pay a RM100 bribe to a traffic policeman to be let off a speeding offence that carries a RM300 fine.

The poll found that two-thirds of bribes involved the police, mostly for traffic violations, and are in the range of RM100 or less, and that they involved mostly low-level personnel.

In another survey by the Kuala Lumpur Society for Transparency and Integrity and the Malaysian Institute of Management a few years back, it found that people with higher incomes were more likely to comply with demands for a pay-off.

But we really don't need these surveys to tell us that corruption has gone from bad to worse. Every time a festival approaches, we cynically tell one another that more road-blocks would be set up to nab motorists who break the speed limit.

Money is asked for in oblique terms. Instead of issuing an immediate summons, there will be "negotiations" on how the traffic offence can be "settled".

In fact, with all the closed circuit television equipment, the police should just send the summonses to the motorists.  Setting up road-blocks along the North-South Highway should be stopped. It is not only dangerous but gives rise to suspicion that there are crooked policemen on our highways, when speed-trap cameras have already been installed.

But corrupt policemen are the least of our problems. We should be more concerned with the loss of taxpayers' money when projects become more expensive because there is a lack of good corporate governance and business ethics.

When businessmen prefer to pay off corrupt civil servants because delays mean an increase in cost and when foreign investors bypass Malaysia because of such delays, that's when the slide begins, and the culture of corruption starts to take root.

The Prime Minister has rightly harped on the importance of the delivery system, which is essential to prevent delays, costs and corruption.

But there is this perception that the fight against corruption has lost its steam. Malaysia was ranked 39th – a drop of two spots – in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index for 2004.

The 2005 index showed that we are still in the same position.

It was set up by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the 1970s for refugees who fled the conflict in their homeland, but it has since become home to many illegal foreigners

Despite the many police raids and eviction exercises, Pulau Gaya has remained a problem for Sabah. On Friday, two gunmen were shot dead while an inspector and two other policemen were seriously wounded in a shootout during a drug raid. 

No one is surprised at the lawlessness there. For many Sabahans, the presence of illegal foreigners has truly tested their limits of tolerance. Many are angry and frustrated that the Government has not done enough to send these illegals home.  

In the past, it was just the Filipinos and Indonesians, but now there are also increasingly high numbers of Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. 

No one is sure of their actual numbers but locals fear that the situation has gone out of control. They want the federal government to take real action. 

The authorities say there are 60,000 foreigners, mainly from the Philippines, who have been allowed to stay temporarily in Sabah because of the fighting in southern Philippines. These people hold what is known as the IMM13 document. But many believe there are at least 1.75 million foreigners in the state, of which 750,000 are illegal.  

At the Dewan Rakyat, DAP MP Teresa Kok was told that as at March 2006, Sabah has a population of 2.98 million but 743,600 were non-citizens.  

The Consumer Association of Sabah and Labuan is currently on a campaign to collect 100,000 signatures to petition the King to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate fresh allegations that tens of thousands of identity cards had been issued to foreigners under special exercises. 

Allegations that certain powerful political figures had endorsed the influx of illegals into Sabah for political expediency should be given serious attention as it has now become public knowledge. 

The situation in Sabah should no longer be treated as a local issue. It is a national security crisis because the influx of foreigners into the state has not stopped. 

No one is even sure of the numbers and certainly no one can ascertain how many have genuine identity cards. 

Furthermore, no one knows how many of these cards were obtained by dubious means and how many of the card holders have become Malaysian citizens, and even voted in state elections, as alleged. Then, there is the question of how many of these foreigners are walking around with fake documents.  

If the authorities continue to take this lightly and give the impression that it has not acted strongly against these foreigners, then we are sending the wrong message to Malaysians and these foreigners. 

The demand by Sabahans, who are fed up with putting up with crime committed by these foreigners, deserves to be given immediate attention by the Internal Security Ministry. 

It is a big mess but the authorities need to sort it out. It may have political implications and high-level figures may even be implicated but the authorities have to get to the bottom of the problem. 

At a recent roundtable discussion by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, officials from the state level immigration and national registration departments snubbed the commissioners. Vice-chairman Simon Sipaun correctly said that the presence of the officials could have helped close the gap between "general perceptions and the real situation". 

It is pertinent to note that the police have announced that Bukit Aman has set up a task force to investigate the allegations of fake MyKad holders in Sabah.  

The situation in Sabah should be given national attention as it would have serious political, economic and social implications. More important, the presence of a huge number of illegal foreigners poses a threat to national security. 

Sabah needs a good clean-up. The people have a right to feel comfortable and secure in their own state without any threats from anyone, especially from foreigners.

MY colleague Johan Fernandez had a rude shock when he returned to Kuala
Lumpur after working for five years in New York, where he was the
newspaper's North America Editor.  

A car which was on loan to him when he came home was stolen after just one week. 

Despite our perception, mainly from news reports and Hollywood movies
that the Big Apple is a dangerous city, Johan was never mugged. It
could have been just plain bad luck that the car was stolen, but I have
a feeling that he believes things have changed much in Kuala Lumpur
since he left. 

If the authorities have their way, they would not want the media to
report too much on crime. They are worried investors and tourists will
stay away if there are too many crime reports. 

It would not be wrong to assume that the authorities do not feel
comfortable with reports of snatch thefts, rapes and robberies,
preferring not to read about them, believing that they would go away if
we close one eye.  

They have always argued that this was to protect the tourism industry but the denial syndrome has led us nowhere. 

The fact is that most Malaysians, especially those in major towns,
believe that their neighbourhoods are no longer safe. Generally, they
feel that there are not enough policemen on the beat.  

The other often heard complaint is that there are too many foreigners
in the country now. Never mind that most crimes are committed by
locals. But instead of having professional expatriates, we think there
are too many foreigners with little skills, or none at all, in
Malaysia.  

Worse, when foreign labourers and petty traders get their permanent
resident status with ease, we have the right to question the criteria
used to provide them this privilege.  

We are told that the criteria are stringent, but we cannot be blamed for being cynical.  

Today, many Malaysians, especially those in the Klang Valley, Penang
and Johor Baru do not feel sufficiently comfortable with the security
situation in their surroundings.  

According to the 2004 Quality of Life Report, the crime rate per
thousand of population has increased from 3.8 in 1990 to 6.2 in 2002.
We can assume that the figures have remained unchanged. 

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan had said on July
28 that many Malaysians fear for their personal safety in the future
because juvenile crime is on the rise.  

Statistics show that some 10,000 youths and 4,000 schoolchildren were caught for various crimes and vice activities last year. 

On June 7, Kuala Lumpur police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Sulaiman Mohd
Yusuf said the city's crime index involving violent and property crime
went up by 3.9% in the first five months of the year, and that the
situation needed to be given serious attention.  

Selangor has the highest reported crime rate, accounting for more than 28% of the cases nationwide. 

In May, Datuk Michael Chong, who heads the MCA Public Complaints and
Services Department, reportedly said data show that some six women are
raped every day in Malaysia between January and March. 

The data, obtained from police records, show that the number of rape
cases had gone up significantly from the average of 4.7 a day between
1997 and 2004. 

Figures on the Malaysian police website showed that the number of
violent crime cases had increased every year, from 21,604 cases in 2000
to 22,133 last year. 

In January, the then Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Seri Chia
Kwang Chye said crime was bleeding the country, with losses estimated
at about RM15.3bil in 2004.  

The consolation is that our police rate of solving crime has
consistently been higher than Interpol's standard of 20%. The Rakan Cop
programme in Kuala Lumpur has also resulted in the overall crime rate
falling by about 20% since its introduction two years ago. 

But discussion about crime must go beyond statistics. We are talking
about human lives and certainly the police force, which faces funding,
manpower and facilities problems, deserves all the support.  

For the record, its strength is 90,000 men. However, less than 10,000
of them are assigned to fight crime. They need another 15,000 to 20,000
men if they are to fight crime effectively. 

We must get our priorities right.  

How can the Government convince the rakyat
that we cannot afford to pay our policemen better and yet channel funds
for controversial projects such as the multi-million sports training
centre in Britain? 

What do we tell the parents of Lee Khian
Yip, the 18-year-old student of Kolej Tunku Abdul Rahman (KTAR) who was
attacked by two men? That he was not careful enough?  

With 11As in the SPM examination, there was so much ahead of him but the cruel killers ended it all.  

The same night, another KTAR student Phang Kar Wei was attacked and slashed by two men on a motorcycle.  

Last Sunday in Johor Baru, make-up specialist Indra Shahril Mohd
Salleh, 32, was found brutally stabbed and slashed at his shop in Jalan
Dahlia 10, Taman Dahlia. 

There is a public outcry now because of these incidents. However, would
all these be forgotten one week from now and would we be making another
round of similar complaints when another incident takes place? 

We have to get used to the reality that the police cannot be
everywhere. Fighting crime is a shared responsibility between the
police and the community. From the setting up of anti-crime clubs in
schools to neighbourhood watch, we need to learn to protect ourselves. 

But more importantly, our police must have the financial resources and
backing from the Government to equip themselves to fight crime.  

The presence of policemen in key areas is important as a deterrent.
Talk is cheap, it is time we see more real commitment, not excuses. 

There are some issues that cannot be resolved in the short term and one of them is religious dispute. For that matter, human beings have been quarrelling over religion, in one form or another, for centuries and without satisfactory answers. 

The line has been stretched a little thin over the past six months. From calls for individual constitutional rights to claims of the big number of apostates to suggestions that Kongsi Raya should be discontinued, I think we have heard enough. 

Be it in organised forums, newspaper reports and commentaries, letters to the editor, postings on the Internet, or even idle chatter at the neighbourhood mamak shops, there is a sense of uncertainty over where all this will eventually lead to. We have to move on. 

Just take a look at the comments posted on certain websites. While some bloggers have taken pains to remove remarks deemed seditious, many have slipped through and not only remained on these sites but taken a life of their own as they are circulated all over the Internet. 

These reckless online comments, often racist, have been allowed to appear without a thought that people of all races and religions read them. It leads to a lot of unnecessary damage and strong reactions. 

In the name of free expression, we have allowed people to make hurtful remarks without giving a thought to the implications. 

When the right to speak is abused, the issue takes on a different perspective. The right of expression does not mean the right to hurt others. 

We take a stand without realising that there would also be opposing views, whether liberal, secular or conservative.  

When a statement is made by any individual or group, it leads to a reaction. If this goes on, it will never end. But it has to come to an end. 

While some of us are able to take part in an intellectual discourse in a mature manner, many others are unable to do so. That is a fact, unfortunately. 

There is a need for Malaysia to stress on our common ground. That must be our national mission. Haven't we wasted enough time on inconsequential issues that have bogged us down and drained our energy? 

Malaysia is in the news for the wrong reasons. The political spat and religious tangle have made good news reading for our neighbours and in a competitive regional economy, I am sure they would want us to remain that way. 

But we are in a race. There is this distinct frustration among many Malaysians that we are losing our strides. There is this fear that if we do not get our act together, we will fall behind and, if that happens, it would be difficult to catch up. 

They are right to have such anxieties because time waits for no one. Malaysia has a good thing going. We should be putting our talents and strengths together to compete with our economic rivals, not looking for differences among ourselves. 

There has to be a wake-up call, at some point. It would not be wrong to believe that the Prime Minister is losing his patience, even tolerance, on elements who want to disrupt the country's political and economic stability. 

There is excessive politicking in this country. We keep going back to the past, seemingly obsessed in digging out issues which Malaysians are simply no longer interested in. 

What Malaysians would like to know is how the Government can make it easier for them to cope with the increasing cost of living. For many middle-class Malaysians with housing and car loans, speculation of another interest rate hike is worrisome. 

Yes, we do sympathise with the attacks by the Israelis on Lebanon but we are equally concerned that the price of oil will go up again, given the uncertainties in the region.  

The Government has given us an assurance that there would no petrol price hike for this year but the war has serious bearing on the economy in other ways. 

But much more that, for many older Malaysians, we are sad that the word "muhibbah" has lost its meaning. The word isn't even used any more. 

We take great pride in telling the world that Malaysia is truly Asia. That we are multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural. That means pluralism has to be re-affirmed. 

Pluralism is not a word to be used only during annual festivals or in brochures for tourists. It is about Malaysians of different races coming together. No one, especially in government, should tolerate attempts by anyone to remove the multi-racial facet of this land. And that means safeguarding the rights of all Malaysians. 

We celebrate our National Day next month. It is time we remind ourselves how and what the three main major races have achieved because they worked together for Malaysia. 

We are Malaysians at home, not just when we are overseas. 

If we wish to show sensitivity and sensibility to one another, let the same be done by our politicians. Be leaders of Malaysians, not just one race. 

To check out reports on The Web of Terror, please click here.

 On the trail of the second wave

May 30, 2006

            By WONG CHUN WAI and LOURDES CHARLES

            MASRAN Arshad keeps to himself, mostly, at the Kamunting
Detention Centre, where he is now being detained under the Internal Security
Act. 

            There is little indication that the name of this 32-year-old man
from Semanggol, a small town in Perak, has been on the radar screen of every
major intelligence agency.

            He has tried to impress upon his fellow detainees and
interrogators that he is a tough man. To them, he is a firebrand who is
proud of his background.

            Masran has led a double life. He has travelled to Pakistan and
Afghanistan, spending his time in countless religious schools, which dot the
two countries.

            In Afghanistan, he met one man who changed his entire life –
Osama bin Laden, head of the al-Qaeda network of terrorists, who is now on
the run.

            Fired up by the passionate sermons of Osama, Masran decided to
dedicate his life to the shadowy work of al-Qaeda. More than that, he swore
his allegiance to the Saudi Arabian prince, who had given up his wealth for
his jihad.

            Together with Masran were three other Malaysians – Nik Abdul
Rahman Mustaffa, Mohd Farik Amin @ Zubair and Nazir Lep @ Lilie.

            Burning with idealism, Masran was ready to please Osama.
Watching his movements closely, the al-Qaeda operatives in the Taliban
capital of Kandahar found Masran to be hard-working and trustworthy.

            "Masran impressed them further when they found out that he is
also the son-in-law of a former top Jemaah Islamiah (JI) leader. His
father-in-law has since been arrested and sentenced to prison in Indonesia,"
said sources.

            To try him out, he acted as a courier for the al-Qaeda,
travelling through the mountains, to pass money and material to al-Qaeda
operatives in Pakistan.

            In South-East Asia, Hambali, the 39-year-old key al-Qaeda man
for the region, was their contact person. The Indonesian terrorist has since
been arrested by the CIA and detained in an unknown detention centre.

            Soon, the al-Qaeda set their eyes on Masran for a bigger job. It
was a mission Masran could never have imagined – to head a team to crash a
plane, which they would hijack, into the 73-storey Library Tower/US Bank
Tower, the tallest building in downtown Los Angeles.

            No date was given for the mission but the plan, which has now
been termed Project California, was supposed to be the biggest after the
Sept 11, 2001, attack on the Twin Towers in New York.

            "His main task was to carry C4 (plastic explosives) with him and
to take control of the plane by overpowering the cockpit crew," said one
intelligence official.

            Terrorism experts have described the plan as the "Second Wave"
to mean the follow-up attacks by the various al-Qaeda suicide bombers
worldwide after Sept 11.

            The fifth Malaysian – Zaini Zakaria – was given the job of
piloting the plane and to crash into the US Bank Tower in the central
business district in downtown Los Angeles.

            "It was to be an act which would get international attention
because it would be so awesome. This was supposed to be al-Qaeda's grandest
act of terror after Sept 11," another official added.

            Last month, Bush named Zaini, an electrical engineering graduate
from Western New College, Massachusetts, as being one of those picked for
the attack.

            Regional intelligence sources said Khaled Sheikh Mohamed, a top
al-Qaeda leader, personally chose the five Malaysians for the mission, with
blessings from Osama.

            According to security expert Ken Conboy in the book, The Second
Front, the Malaysians were chosen for al-Qaeda's second wave of attacks
because the movement was aware that intelligence forces were already keeping
an eye on Middle Eastern men.

            In what could possibly be an all-Malaysian terrorist team,
intelligence sources said their ability to speak English, although not
perfect, was an added advantage.

            Zaini, 39, was among the first Jemaah Islamiah members to be
selected by the al-Qaeda for formal training for foreign fighters in
Afghanistan.

            Although all were recruited before 2001, no date was given for
Project California, but the plan began to fall apart after that.

            "The Americans started attacking Kandahar and many al-Qaeda
leaders were on the run. Hambali started to set his eyes on less grandiose
attacks in South-East Asia," said intelligence sources.

            By then, regional intelligence officers had stepped up their
surveillance. The arrests of key al-Qaeda operatives shed more light on what
the Malaysians had planned to do and they began watching closely the five
Malaysians.

            Masran and Nik Abdul Rahman sneaked back into the country in
2002 and were immediately arrested.

            "Upon interrogation the authorities learnt that they were
involved in planning a second wave attack on the US.

            "The swift action by the Malaysian intelligence officers
prevented what would have been a similar incident to 9/11," the sources
said.

            It is learnt that acting on the information the Thai police
picked up Mohd Farik and Nazir in Ayutthaya, Bangkok before arresting
Hambali a couple of days later. They were handed over to the CIA.

            Like Hambali, the whereabouts of the two Malaysians remained
unknown, although there is talk that he is being held in a US facility in a
West Asian country.

            Hambali has been regarded as one of the planners of the
nightclub bombings in Bali in 2002 and the 2003 bomb attack on the JW
Marriot Hotel in Jakarta. 

Right way to handle campus politicIT would have been hushed up by Universiti Putra Malaysia if it hadn't been captured on video and circulated on the Internet.  

Without the visual impact, the scuffle involving a group of UPM students reported in the newspapers would not have stirred so much interest and unhappiness. 

It would have been dismissed as a minor incident unworthy of national interest but the circulation of the video clip, recorded on a video camera, kept the issue alive. 

Last week, gangsterism reared its ugly head when about 50 "pro-establishment" students intimidated and manhandled seven students belonging to the Gerakan Mahasiswa Maju UPM (UPM Student Progressive Front) said to be linked to Keadilan. 

The pro-government students, who call themselves Kumpulan Aspirasi, were said to be unhappy with the presence of the students who had set up a help counter for new students at the campus canteen. 

The Kumpulan Aspirasi group, led by an elected student council leader, wanted the SPF to leave because it was not a registered body. 

When the SPF students refused, the situation turned rowdy with the Kumpulan Aspirasi students seen pushing, shouting and intimidating the SPF group. Luckily, the ugly spat did not turn physical. 

A police report has been lodged but the police have left the case to be handled by the university authorities. 

Although students are not allowed to group themselves, whether along political, racial or religious line under the University and University Colleges Act, the fact is that they do. Sometimes, with the support of outside political help. 

The Umno and PAS influence is particularly strong on students, especially those from Kelantan, who are the most active in campus politics. 

For the minorities – the Chinese and Indians – who are keen to be involved, they are either pro-government backers, as in the MCA and MIC, or they are with the opposition. 

In the case of the UPM SPF students, they are perceived to be Keadilan supporters, and thus found themselves in a tight spot because the student council is controlled by the pro-government group. It is, in a way, a territorial squabble. 

For Chinese students in predominantly Malay universities, it has never been easy getting elected into the student council because the sad reality is that voting is on racial lines. 

It may be easier in Universiti Malaya and Universiti Sains Malaysia but not in UPM or Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Thus, the setting up of unregistered student bodies like the SPF and the Chinese Consultative Council (CCC) in UKM. 

Unlike the SPF, the CCC enjoyed much influence in UKM in the 1980s until the then Education Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim banned it, saying it was communal. 

But the CCC was accepted by the PAS and Umno-inclined groups, with both sides attempting to woo the crucial Chinese vote in student polls. 

They were regarded as the "kingmakers" and the CCC cleverly played that role and gained acceptance as a group. Although it was unregistered, it came under the ambit of the student council. 

I know because I was involved in the formation of the CCC together with several others, including now MCA Youth chief Datuk Liow Tiong Lai, Kelana Jaya MP Loh Seng Kok and Kulim state assemblyman Boey Chin Gan. 

We did not hide the fact that we were supportive of the MCA. The 2,000 Chinese students in the campus knew where we stood and came out in full force to vote for the CCC in a separate election.  

It was illegal but the student council turned up to endorse the poll, which must have given the university authorities a headache. 

In functions organised by the CCC, such as the mooncake festival, the CCC even managed to get MCA leaders and UKM officials to attend, thus giving these activities the seal of approval although it was an unregistered body. 

We could even secure the setting up of a pork-free Chinese food section at the canteen. Armed with written support from the Malay students, the CCC met UKM officials who approved it. 

Although it was hardly an ideal situation, it was an exercise in the sharing of political power and how the different races needed to work together. 

The then Malay student leaders, including many now holding key positions in politics and business, worked well with us. 

In the case of the Kumpulan Aspirasi students, it is obvious that maturity and political finesse is missing. The student leader, seen on video, behaved in an outrageous manner and certainly unbecoming of an elected student leader. 

The SPF students, on the other hand, failed to realise their potential as a decisive factor, and had chosen, instead, to limit their role. Their affiliation to the opposition, if correct, has surely not endeared them in a place where they are a minority. 

But the Higher Education Ministry and UPM must never allow those involved in the bullying to be left unpunished, no matter what their political inclination may be. 

It is not for the student council to take the law into their own hands. An inquiry must be conducted and the culprits involved, particularly the elected student leader, must be suspended. If no action is taken, UPM would be sending the wrong signal. 

The university is a place for students to study and broaden their knowledge. It is also a place for students, who are interested in politics, to sharpen their interaction skills, especially with the other races. 

It is also a place for them to cultivate relationships with their fellow students, regardless of race, which would help in their network, when they graduate. 

Differences in opinion and political inclination must be accepted as a fact of life. The immaturity of the UPM students has not helped those pushing for the repeal of the UCCA but may even push the Government to rethink its earlier plan to relax the rules.

STRESS the common values shared by Malaysians and highlight those
similarities in the Ethnic Relations course in all local universities. 

We should spend more time talking about our common values and beliefs instead
of stressing on our differences. 

The Higher Education Ministry had good intentions when it introduced the
Ethnic Relations course in Universiti Putra Malaysia and, subsequently, in all
universities. But whether it is a module, guidebook or textbook, there is
nothing wrong in taking another look at the contents of the course. 

The Cabinet has rightly withdrawn the controversial guidebook. There is
nothing wrong in admitting that there are flaws in our work. Life is not just
about scoring points – whether from a political or communal perspective.  

Regardless of our race, religion and culture, we all believe in the
importance of compassion and truth.  

We can be Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus or Christians, but we respect each other
and our faiths – that is the hallmark of Malaysia. 

A temple, a church and a mosque can exist next to each other and that is
wholly acceptable in Malaysia. We don't even think about it. We call our God by
many names and pray differently. But ultimately, we believe in the Almighty.  

And all religions teach us to be moral, charitable, selfless and tolerant.
That is the core of all religions.  

Our religions expect us to be morally upright, and we certainly should not
tolerate corrupt figures even as they work hard at projecting themselves as
pious and God-fearing pillars of society. 

We see no differences when it comes to issues such as social greed, abuse of
power, economic disparity, racial polarisation and democratic rights. But what
have we done?  

Instead of focusing on universal values, which all Malaysians share, some of
us prefer to point fingers at one another. That is not the way to build good
ethnic relations.  

There is nothing wrong in using historical events to remind us of the need to
be sensitive in a plural society, but old wounds are unnecessarily opened when
we start blaming each other for events that are long over. 

It would be more appropriate for our universities to recommend that our
students read books and newspaper reports on the May 13 and the Kampung Medan
incidents as part of their tutorial work.  

Let our students draw their own conclusions based on the various sources
available to them so that they can enrich their minds. Don't force on them our
prejudices and views.  

We must learn from those shameful incidents, especially the younger
generation. But let us not plant seeds of discontent and hatred in the minds of
our young.  

It does not matter who struck the first blow. It is more important that we
accept that violence is wrong. 

We need to remind our young that peace in the country cannot be taken for
granted. We have to work at it.  

Reminders to exercise restraint in our statements may sometimes be regarded
as old-fashioned in this cyber age when nothing is sacred and nothing is
censored. But the price of democracy can be costly if we only choose to see an
issue from our own perspective or, even, prejudice.  

Tolerance and compromise are strengths, not weaknesses. Common sense, in the
larger interest of all Malaysians, must never be under-estimated. 

It is bad enough that many of our prejudices, which are stumbling blocks to
nation-building, are being perpetuated by some quarters. 

We cannot expect our young to listen to politicians preaching national unity
the whole year round but churning out racial remarks at their annual party
assemblies. That is hypocrisy. 

As we debate this issue, it may be timely for the Cabinet to also direct the
Education Ministry to look at the contents of our school history books or the
textbook for new civil servants. 

Is it true that Sybil Kathigesu, the heroic woman who lost her doctor husband
and child while providing help to the people during the Japanese Occupation, has
vanished from our books as claimed? 

Can the ministry verify a news report that Yap Ah Loy, the Kapitan China,
too, has lost his place in the development of Kuala Lumpur? 

Is Malaysian history being re-written by textbook writers without the
knowledge of our Government? 

Similarly, religion should not be used to emphasise ethnic differences. No
one should attempt to use religion to keep Malaysians apart, as this is against
the spirit and philosophy of every religion. 

I remember having to sit for the Islamic Civilisation course in Universiti
Kebangsaan Malaysia, or ZI, as it was called. Some of my non-Muslim course mates
felt uneasy, assuming that it was a subtle attempt to convert us. But there was
little reason to fear.  

If one's faith is strong, why should it be shaken when one learns about
another religion? 

Comparative religions is not a subject encouraged in Malaysia. But if
properly handled, it can help all of us know each other's religion better.  

The problem, however, starts when we grow suspicious, believing it is an
attempt to convert us. Sometimes it is real but sometimes it is imagined, due to
prejudices.  

Unfortunately, the quest for knowledge is lost when we shut our minds. As a
result, we lose the opportunity to know more about the religions of our fellow
Malaysians. 

I enjoyed the lectures of the late Datuk Dr Fadzil Noor, who later became PAS
president, and Datuk Dr Harun Din in UKM. I did not convert but learnt to
appreciate Islam more. 

But in courses like this, great care must be accorded to the sensitivities of
students of other faiths.  

As an example, Jesus is a prophet to Muslims but to Christians, he is also
God. No attempt must be made to ask a student whether Jesus is God or merely a
Prophet in an examination, as that would put a Christian student in an awkward
position. 

We celebrate 50 years of independence next year. Despite the complexities of
our country, we have been able to come this far because of our high level of
tolerance. 

Our politics of consensus, despite being communal-based, has worked well for
us. If the three main races – Malays, Chinese and Indians – had not worked
together, we would not have been able to achieve independence.  

We needed each other then and we need each other still today. This is our
only country. This is where we were born, where we live and where we are likely
to die.  

I looked up the book The May 13 Tragedy by the National Operations
Council, published on Oct 9, 1969, to refresh my memory of the tragedy. 

There are enough details in the report for those interested in finding out
more, including the names of the political parties and main politicians
involved. Of course, there are other versions of what happened. 

But more importantly, it was the foreword by the then Director of Operations,
Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, which struck me. 

He wrote: "If the events of May 13 are not to occur again, if this nation is
to survive, we must make sure that subjects which are likely to engender racial
tensions are not exploited by irresponsible opportunists." 

His advice remains relevant.  

Inter-religious and inter-ethnic harmony can be cultivated if we identify and
stress the common values that exist, in one form or another, in all religions
and races. 

WHAT'S the rush really? The Government seems dead-set on pushing through its plan to
build the controversial sports training centre in England despite criticisms
from the public.  

The unhappiness must surely be the cost, with Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang
putting the figure at RM490mil while Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun
Razak said it was not confirmed and that only a small sum was budgeted for the
first phase. 

Malaysians cannot be faulted for being angry. Assuming that Lim had inflated
the figure for political reasons, surely the public has the right to know how
much of their money would be used for the proposed project in Brickendonbury,
just outside of London. 

National Sports Council director-general Datuk Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz earlier
said the RM490mil figure is a projection of the total cost the Government would
spend over the next 10 years, and not for building the infrastructure. In a
special press conference on Friday, he said no figure was ever mentioned in any
of their deliberations or decisions.  

"Whatever has been stated so far is merely speculative and from other
parties," he said. 

Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai also reportedly said
the figure from Lim "did not come from the ministry" while National Sports
Council's Philip Chan said it "is not definite" and "is likely to be lower". 

These contradictory statements have not helped clear the air. In fact, the
public would probably have more questions now and, as taxpayers, they should
rightly do so.  

The Government has a moral duty to tell us how the project will benefit
Malaysian athletes and how much money will be involved.  

We can assume that the project will not involve any purchase of land since it
will sit on a site belonging to the Malaysian Rubber Board, where the Tun Abdul
Razak Research Centre is located. The centre was founded as the British Rubber
Producers' Research Association (BRPRA) in 1938. 

Brickendonbury estate has a long and colourful history dating back to Saxon
times (approximately 500 AD) and has passed through many tenants, either leased
or let. During the Second World War, it was used to train agents and resistance
workers in industrial sabotage. 

The centre moved into the estate in 1974 and restored the mansion, which now
has elegant working accommodation, according to the centre's website, and the
grounds have well-built laboratories, library and development areas housing the
centre's work. It was given its current name in 1977. 

It sounds like a good place for our athletes, given its huge area. That means
the Government need only build the sports centre on that piece of land. If that
is the case, it would be helpful if the Government can, at least, show us what
the centre would look like, what kind of facilities would be available, the
staff cost and how much it would cost to maintain. 

The public must be convinced and, as an elected government, surely the
leadership must be sensitive to the wishes of the people. It is our money after
all, and at a time when we have to grapple with the increasing cost of living,
not many of us are in the mood to read about an extravagant project. 

We cannot be told to tighten our belts and change our lifestyle and yet have
to cough out our money on the multi-million ringgit project. That is something
we cannot accept. 

But half the battle would be won if the Government can justify the long-term
benefits of the so-called "high performance training centre". The public must be
convinced that having this sports centre will help Malaysians win medals at
international competitions such as the Olympics.  

From the bits of information that have come out, the proposed sports centre
is to groom and train our future athletes in a temperate country for temperate
sports. 

That would, presumably, involve allowing selected sports persons to stay,
train and compete in Europe. It would be good if the Government can inform us of
the kinds of sports that have been identified to produce these elite Malaysian
athletes who will grab international headlines.  

We are not talking about winning gold medals in sports that involve four or
five countries, like badminton or sepak takraw, but real international
sports, since millions of ringgit would have been committed to the project. 

That must be the intention of the Cabinet Committee on Sports headed by
Najib. It is noble and ambitious. Besides putting up the building, which our
Government seems to be fond of, we would like to know the real plan – how to
make champions of Malaysians in the UK. 

It would be nice to know, just for argument's sake, whether the Socceroos
built a multi-million soccer complex Down Under and whether Trinidad and Tobago
committed their entire GDP to gear their players for the World Cup so they could
make the English players look like sissies.  

And certainly, the long-distance runners from Kenya did not have this kind of
RM490mil luxury. 

You don't need a sports expert to tell you that buildings do not produce
sportsmen. Instead, what you need are good planning, good strategies, good
trainers and committed athletes. Most of all, let's get real and put our limited
resources to sports that we can win. 

A good sports programme, beginning at school level, is essential because
producing champions takes time. Trainers, whether local or foreign, also need
time to build these talents. 

We cannot expect instant results after signing a foreign coach for a year.
More importantly, they should be freed from interfering politicians masquerading
as managers and officials. 

It might be cheaper to pick selected athletes in certain sports and have them
trained here and overseas. Squash player Nicol David, for example, has picked
Holland as her base and in the hands of a foreign trainer, who is more exposed
to newer techniques, she has progressed to be a world champion beater. 

Let's be realistic. Given our physique, the penchant for nasi lemak
and teh tarik and our humid weather, we are not going to win the World
Cup. We can bring Alex Ferguson to train our boys in a trillion-ringgit soccer
complex and we still won't win. Maybe we can beat the Koreans and Japanese.  

Neither can we compete against the Japanese, Fijians and Samoans in sumo
wrestling because we can never bloat up like them, even if we build a sumo
complex there. 

So, Malaysians might as well focus on shooting, bowling, lawn bowling, table
tennis, squash, golf, hockey, sailing and volleyball, where we have more
realistic chances of triumphing, even if not at the Olympics, at least at the
Commonwealth Games. 

There have been cynical remarks, especially on the Internet websites, on how
the proposed academy will benefit us. Some of the allegations have been grossly
unfair but the Government owes it to us to justify the project and provide the
costs. That's not asking too much.  

The Government must also explain the need for the 100m dash for a project
that would cost Malaysia a bomb. Surely, the Government must have good reasons
for the decision and Malaysians would like to know. That's the first hurdle that
the Government needs to clear.