Shocking Video of Inside Story of U.S. Banking Scandal

What really happened during the 2008 financial crisis? This tell-all video reveals the systemic corruption and its resulting consequences.
https://rdt.mercola.com/view.aspx?Email=waynebwng@gmail.com&ReturnURL=http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/26/shocking-video-of-inside-story-of-us-banking-scandal.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/02/28/Ron-Paul--How-to-End-the-Current-Economic-Crisis-.aspx

Jeyakumar and 5 other PSM leaders freed: Police must apologize

The EO-6 have finally been released after 28 days of detention following strenuous efforts by Parti Sosialis Malaysia members, NGOs and friends including Pakatan Rakyat supporters to pressure the police and Home Ministry to free them.
No reasons were given and the Star reported the Inspector General of Police as saying it is up to the Attorney-General to decide on the next course of action.
"Yes, it is confirmed. We need to get rid of all the oppressive laws, EO, ISA, OSA and PPPA because this case has highlighted how they can be abused. But before that, the BN government and the police must apologise to the EO-6 and their families," PKR legal affairs director Latheefa Koya told Malaysia Chronicle.
"This shows that the police have been lying to the people about Dr Jeyakumar and PSM members being communists, the masterminds behind Bersih and waging war against the King. Where is the proof?" PAS MP for Bukit Gantang Nizar Jamaluddin told Malaysia Chronicle.
Abuse of power
The six include PSM MP for Sungai Siput Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj, who began a hunger strike on Friday, after failing to get any response from the authorities. The other 5 PSM members are M Sarasvathy, Choo Chon Kai, M Sukumaran, R Saratbabu and A Letchumanan.
The six are also known as the EO-6 because they were remanded by the police under the Emergency Ordinance, which allows for detention without trial for indefinite periods of time. Under the EO, the police must also review the remand within 30 days and this period ends on Sunday. However, the remand order can also be cancelled at any time by the Home Minister.
The EO-6 were arrested on June 26 while on the way to Penang and accused of rekindling 'communism' and waging war against the King. The police later backed down on these charges and the 6 are being detained for being involved in Bersih-related activities. However, the July 9 Bersih rally for free and fair elections have long passed and the hundreds arrested for supporting it have been released.
Hunger strike
PSM members said the six were released at 5.30pm  and will attend a 'victory celebration' at 7.30pm at the KL-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, where they are bound to receive a standing ovation.
Police had earlier confirmed that Jeyakumar had begun his hunger strike, which he has vowed to continue until all six are either released or brought to court to face charges.
In the meantime, the Malaysian Medical Association had warned the police not to force-feed Jeyakumar, who is a lung specialist, as it was “unethical and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment”.
“The MMA calls upon the authorities to respect international human rights laws and not to resort to force feeding as a means of ending Jeyakumar's protest,” MMA president Dr Mary Suma Cardosa had said in a statement.
Intimidation and vengeance
According to pundits and PSM colleagues, there were no grounds for the police to continue detaining the six unless as an act of intimidation and vengeance.
"After waiting for hours in anxiety, we were finally notified by DSP Muhammad Razali that Dr Jeyakumar has declined lunch and dinner and his condition is said to be OK as of 9.35pm on 28 July 20011 and that he is being monitored," said PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan in a statement issued on Friday.
Arutchelvan had also said PSM and other groups would intensify their campaign to get the EO-6 released and this included calling for more hunger strikes.
"We believe that more Malaysians will be joining Dr Jeyakumar in this hunger strike to call for the release.  We will also make it clear that the home minister is entitled to revoke this order and any time.  We therefore call upon Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein to use his powers to immediately release the six without conditions," said Arutchelvan.
Fortunately, Jeya and colleagues have been freed. However, given Malaysia's uncertain political climate under the Najib administration, they can be re-arrested and detained again under the EO depending on the whim and fancy of the authorities as has already been proven.
- Melissa Lee, Malaysia Chronicle

Concerns over social effects of S'pore's casino

A senior official has voiced concerns over the effects of casinos in Singapore shortly after Marina Bay Sands reported its strongest quarterly results, Xinhua news agency said citing a report in local newspaper Today on Friday.

Writing on her Facebook page, Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts Grace Fu said she was concerned about the social effects of the casino resorts, known as integrated resorts (IR) in Singapore.
"While I acknowledge the contribution of IRs to our economy, I am concern(ed) about the social effects," she said.
Fu said she was also worried about the rising number of advertisements by moneylenders offering 'quick loan/fast cash', in several local Chinese dailies.
On Tuesday, the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS), a not-for-profit organisation, expressed worries over the spike in calls it has received about loan sharks and gambling problems.
Marina Bay Sands, one of the two casino resorts inaugurated last year, reported its strongest ever quarterly performance on Wednesday.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/7/29/nation/20110729123750&sec=nation
Does it amount to a regrettable project that the Singapore government has undertaken? Usually thorough indept study would have been carried out before Singapore actually goes into major projects of national interest. However, the long-term effect of the society could have been neglected when deciding on a no-no project of a resort centralled with a casino. What had actually gone wrong!

Biometric system: Another BN 'sting' to delay the "Bersih" EC reforms

In efforts to placate the public and to show that he was doing something, Prime Minister Najib Razak has given the nod to the use of biometric voter verification system, but has sparked even greater outcry with critics accusing him of deliberately delaying the electoral reforms sought by polls watchdog Bersih.
They also slammed him for not doing his homework and offering sloppy solutions that would not address the problems but may actually open the door for massive electronic fraud.
But perhaps under the impression that his countrymen knew as little as he did, Najib pompously agreed to finance the cost of implementing the system for the Election Commission.
According to him, the system was one of the initiatives to ensure transparency, stressing that biometric verification (BM) would counter allegations about the existence of phantom voters. The BM system is a sophisticated electronic gadget that recognizes and matches the fingerprints of legitimate voters.
But already, there are widespread protests across the country against it, with many people believing it was the latest scam from the Najib administration to confuse and augment arguement amongst the Rakyat. The underlying motive is, of course, to put the heat off the Bersih demands on the BN government.
High-tech fraud
Other than the cost, which will be inevitably passed on to consumers, many have questioned the rationale for such a system? Najib has touted it as one of the most advanced voting system available to check voter fraud. It is reliable, 100% fool-proof and temper proof.
The public is not convinced as anything man-made, is never tamper-proof. For example the high tech Malaysian polymer notes can also be forged. So can credits cards and Mykads.
If immigration records of Altantuya can disappear from the Immigration database, what more with electronic bytes of information, which can easily be altered with the skills of a programmer?
Besides, how do you verify a thumb print in a rural voting booth, without adequate monitoring? Are we going to put our complete trust in a machine? Some feels that the biometric system sounds more like high tech fraud. It is not surprising then that UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has been a leading proponent of this system - better than indelible ink, he says!
Cost and becoming obsolete
The public would like to know the cost for implementing this new system. At a time, when the world economy is slowing down, with massive spending cuts, the Malaysian government seems to continue to spend without a thought. Why spend top money for a system which will only be used once every five years? At the rate our electronic machines becomes obsolete, it will be time to throw it away before the next election.
There are also concerns that foreigner workers may already be onto the biometric system. Is there any fool-proof way to identify a legitimate voter from that of a foreign immigrant? A BM system uses a memory chip that can store tonnes of information, and to verify the authenticity between 2 images. It does not have the human touch to discern whether a voter is genuine or not.
Another point worth considering is: what if the biometric system malfunctions? What if it starts to reject legitimate voters in a mis-scan? What if the machine is unable to read the microchips embedded in our Mykads? Are we going to write it off as spoilt votes?
Programmers can print out exception reports of duplicate voters via Mykad numbers whether old or new. The database which includes insertion of the thumbprints, Mykad numbers and addresses of an estimated 10 million voters has to be manually keyed in, which exposes a high risk of fraud and tampering.
Individual person identity verification using biometrics is always only the THUMB...not any other finger, someone has pointed out. It also won’t be surprising if this scheme is cancelled in the last minute by the flip-flop decisions of the government, like in the case of the indelible ink.
In the minds of everyone that should this BM system be implemented, will the government allow NGOs and independent bodies to audit the system, and monitor its operation?
Expensive, fraud-prone, manipulation at the click of a mouse
The people are curious how much is being set aside for this project. Isn't indelible ink cheaper and more effective? Already, we have ample stocks of indelible ink purchased in 2007, which was never used.
Already the Pakatan Rakyat are not given any air time to campaign on television. Allegations of bribes, threats, gerrymandering of boundaries, and issuance of MyKad to illegal immigrants are rampant.
Who would believe the BM system alone will ensure a free and fair election?
Unless Malaysians are assured that the new BM system is fool-proof, it would be prudent of the government to use the simplest, cheapest solution available today and that is the indelible ink.
Indelible ink controls duplication, BM allows for greater multiplication of illegal entries
To date the government has failed to explain to the rakyat its reservation to use the indelible ink giving erroneous statements that the indelible ink is humiliating, and practised only in 3rd world countries like Africa and India.
As far as we know, India has overtaken us many times over, and if India does not object to the indelible ink which has made them one of the world’s largest democracy, why should Malaysians object?
We are sure Malaysians would rather be humiliated than to allow a tainted election to mar our nation’s future.
Indelible ink actually means "un-removable" ink.
India, Philippines, Indonesia and parts of Africa and other developing countries have used indelible ink as a form of electoral stain to prevent electoral fraud. But in typical spendthrift UMNO style, Malaysia wants to show off and jump to BM, when at the moment, they are far behind these nations.
So stop talking so much, show some sincerity and stop cheating. No wonder the people no longer believe in anything that starts with N a j i b - which is incidentally is also the self-titled book the less-than-tactful PM gave as a meeting-gift to the Pope.
Last point for N a j i b to refute. The use of indelible ink is to ensure that people don't vote more than once. How will this expensive BM system that his administration is touting to be the best in the world address this issue?
If you keep adding illegal entries to the database, you could still get people voting over and over again. N a j i b must really think Malaysians are so stupid!
- Malaysia Chronicle

AirAsia moves HQ to Jakarta

With all the troubles he has had over the last two months, the confirmation Friday that AirAsia, arguably Malaysia’s most vibrant private company, is moving its headquarters out of the country to Indonesia is one more blow.

Tony Fernandes, AirAsia’s group chief executive, confirmed the decision in Tokyo Thursday, saying the move is an effort to upgrade his company’s image as a regional Southeast Asian airline rather than just a Malaysian carrier.

“I don't know whether Najib has been told or not,” said a business associate of Fernandes in Kuala Lumpur. “But why should Tony care? There are solid business reasons for moving to Jakarta.”

Najib has been on a whirlwind trip to foreign capitals to try and mend the country’s image in the wake of a violent police crackdown on peaceful marchers seeking to present a petition to the country’s king on July 9, asking for election reform. In a throwback to the 1980s, Malaysian censors blacked out details of a report about the march carried in The Economist.
Serious blow to Najib administration
That was followed on July 23 with the results of a royal commission of inquiry that concluded that a young aide to an opposition politician had been hounded so badly during a marathon interrogation over office spending that he threw himself out of a window and killed himself.

Then on Friday, immigration officials took William Bourdon, the leader of a team seeking to ferret out the details of a massive scandal involving defense procurement, off a plane in Kuala Lumpur, held him for several hours and ordered him deported via a flight back to Paris.

Fernandes characterized the move of the headquarters as a simple business decision to take advantage of Indonesia’s vastly larger economy and population, which is nearly 10 times that of Malaysia’s, although Malaysian annual per-capita gross domestic product of US$14,700 by purchasing power parity is much higher currently than Indonesia’s at US$4,200. The size of the country, however, meant that the Indonesian economy was estimated by the CIA Factbook for 2010 at US$1.03 trillion against Malaysia’s US$414.4 billion.
AirAsia’s decision to move the headquarters is a serious negative propaganda blow for Najib’s 1Malaysia Plan, an intensive effort to lure foreign direct investment to Malaysia. In September 2010, the Malaysian government announced ambitious plans to mobilize hundreds of billions of dollars in private investment in an effort to move the country out of the so-called middle income trap, and double per capita income to push Malaysia into the ranks of developed nations by 2020.
Capital flight

AirAsia may well be the only Malaysian company besides the state-owned energy giant Petronas to have made an international impact – and Petronas does it by advertising intensively during Formula 1 races and by sponsoring a car – which Fernandes does as well. Launched in 2002 as a regional no-frills carrier with just two planes, AirAsia now flies 93 planes all over Asia. In addition, a long-haul service, AirAsia X, flies to Europe, Japan and Korea. The company earlier ordered 300 Airbus A320neos.to expand its routes across Asia and beyond.

It isn’t just the publicity damage. In the past 10 years, according to a report by the news agency Reuters, private companies invested just RM535 billion (US$172.4 billion), according to official data. Malaysia’s private investment rate of about 10 percent of GDP is among the lowest in Asia and a third of what it was before the 1998 Asian financial crisis. The government, according to Reuters, contributes around half the investment in Malaysia.

In addition, Malaysia has long been plagued by capital flight, which has been generally regarded as an indication of lack of faith in the country on the part of its businessmen, although in Malaysia’s case the bulk may well be from stolen timber leaving the country from Sarawak and Sabah.
Nonetheless, the US-based financial watchdog Global Financial Integrity estimated in a 2010 report that as much as RM888 billion (US$298.3 billion at current exchange rates) had left the country between 2000 and 2008. Illicit financial flows generally involve the transfer of money earned through illegal activities such as corruption, transactions involving contraband goods, criminal activities and efforts to shelter wealth from tax authorities.
Resurgent Jakarta
AirAsia said the move is a bid to take advantage of access to the Asean secretariat, which is based in Jakarta, in advance of an open skies agreement expected to go into effect in 2015 and which is designed to lower barriers for air travel between the region’s capitals.

Asked why he chose to move the fast-growing airline’s principal corporate base to Jakarta from Kuala Lumpur, Fernandes said: “Asean is based in Jakarta, and Indonesia will be the largest economy in Asean in times to come … And I like it there” – enough, he said, to have impelled him to have already bought a home in Jakarta.

The Indonesia National Air Carriers Association forecasts passenger growth at 10 percent to 15 percent this year. Indonesia’s Central Statistics Agency reported that domestic air traffic grew 22 percent to 53.4 million passengers in 2010 on growing demand from the middle class for domestic flights. That is higher than the 9 percent average increase recorded by Asia-Pacific carriers, according to data from the International Air Transport Association.

“Indonesia is among very few countries that managed to record strong growth in air traffic last year,” said an analyst quoted by the Jakarta Globe. “The lack of available airlines compared to population and geographic conditions is only a sign that there’s a lot of opportunity here.”
- Asia Sentinel

Would you fork out £3 billion (RM14.5 billion) for a yacht?

AP File Photo

That's what one unnamed Malaysian businessman did. 
The Sun, a U.K. newspaper, reported that the 100-feet yacht, rather aptly named History Supreme, had 100 tons of gold incorporated into its design.
And it does not stop there. The yacht is a dazzling, unrestrained display of bling - deck, dining area, rails and anchor were all fashioned from precious metals - platinum being one.
Platinum also embellishes its sleeping quarters. As an added bonus, the package also includes a statue crafted from a bone of no less than 'The King of the Dinosaurs' - the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Started in Italy and finished in Malaysia (about two weeks ago), construction of the yacht took three years. The project was overseen by Liverpool jeweller Stuart Hughes, who was given the task by a yet unidentified Malaysian businessman.
"I've covered all sorts of things in gold but this has got to be my most ambitious project yet. This will never be topped," Hughes was attributed saying in The Sun report.

Bar Council: RCI 'suicide' verdict unfounded, Nazri's 'weak' comment false

There are a number of key points on which the Malaysian Bar agrees with the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Death of Teoh Beng Hock (“RCI”). We concur with the following findings of the RCI:
(1) That the RCI was unable to accept that the alleged suicide note had been written by Teoh Beng Hock, and that the undue delay by the authorities in tendering the alleged suicide note at the first available opportunity could not be taken as mere carelessness or neglect, and therefore the authenticity of the note could not be trusted;
(2) That Teoh Beng Hock was, at all material times until his untimely death, in the care, custody and control of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (“MACC”) officers;
(3) That Teoh Beng Hock was not released from the care, custody and control of the MACC officers after his statement had been recorded at approximately 3:30 am, and this failure “amounted to cruel conduct and punishment inflicted on purpose”;
(4) That Teoh Beng Hock was subjected to “aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous interrogation” and that the recording of his statement was unlawful;
(5) That the majority of the MACC officers exhibited a “total lack of consideration for human sensitivities”, and that the recruitment process of MACC officers should include a “psychological evaluation to assess their suitability for investigative work”;
(6) That most of the MACC officers who were involved in the operations on 15 and 16 July 2009, and who gave evidence as witnesses, were neither truthful nor credible, as they “had the inevitable habit of lying”;
(7) That massive operations launched by MACC Selangor – which were headed by then-Selangor MACC deputy director Hishamuddin Hashim – against the Pakatan Rakyat members of the Selangor state assembly were grounded on mere belief of information purportedly received over the telephone, and without proper ground work or verification;
(8) That Hishamuddin Hashim was “arrogant, given to falsehoods, untruthful and uncompromising”, and that he was “just too stubborn [such trait was also displayed when he gave evidence before us] to retreat from his mistake in mounting such a massive operation”;
(9) That not only was Hishamuddin Hashim involved but he also “unleashed his officers to do his bidding in order to get results within that night and morning come hell or high-water”, and that Hishamuddin Hashim should be held responsible for the actions taken by him and his officers that led to Teoh Beng Hock’s death; and
(10) That the Selangor MACC had shown an extreme lack of cooperation with the police in the latter's attempts to investigate complaints of assault and other offences previously made against its officers.
The Malaysian Bar, however, does not concur with the finding by the RCI that Teoh Beng Hock had committed suicide. Such a finding, in our view, is unsupported by the facts and the evidence.
Contrary to the statement made by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, forensic psychiatrist Professor Paul Mullen did not testify that Teoh Beng Hock had a “weak character” that had led to him taking his own life. Professor Mullen also did not conclude that Teoh Beng Hock had committed suicide; rather, his testimony stated that “in [his] opinion, what we learned of Teoh Beng Hock’s personality and behaviour do not suggest any increased risk of suicide”. He further opined that the context of the events that had taken place was not one “which, in [his] experience, leads to suicide in custody”, as he had not been made aware of anything “to explain panic and distress sufficient to drive [Teoh Beng Hock] to conclude his honor had been irreparably tarnished”.
This is in stark contrast to what the Minister reportedly stated during the release of the RCI’s report, namely that Teoh Beng Hock had “truly committed suicide based on his character that had changed from a low-risk group to a high-risk group for suicide after undergoing a continuous and aggressive questioning session”. Professor Mullen’s testimony does not provide the basis for the RCI’s finding of suicide, such as that described in the section titled “conclusion on forensic psychiatric aspects” in the RCI’s report.
It is noted that the RCI found the following:
(1) That the time of death had been between 7:15 am and 11:15 am on 16 July 2009;
(2) That Teoh Beng Hock had not been released at 3:30 am and been left alone sitting on a sofa after his statement had been recorded, as Hishamuddin Hashim had issued a written circular the previous month that “witnesses and visitors in the Selangor MACC office should be accompanied at all times”;
(3) That Teoh Beng Hock had been subjected to a fourth interrogation session after 3:30 am by Hishamuddin Hashim and his officers, which was aggressive and relentless. In addition, the RCI rejected the evidence of MACC officer Raymond Nion that he had seen Teoh Beng Hock lying down unattended on a sofa at approximately 6:00 am;
(4) That the fourth interrogation session was probably between 3:30 am and 7:00 am; and
(5) That the window from which Teoh Beng Hock is said to have fallen out was located conspicuously.
In view of the above, and that there was no evidence whatsoever produced at the RCI hearing of Teoh Beng Hock’s whereabouts or movements after 6:15 am, and the staff of the Selangor MACC office would have begun arriving by 8:00 am, to surmise that Teoh Beng Hock had committed suicide between 7:15 am and 11:15 am requires a leap in logic and an assumption of facts not in evidence.
The Malaysian Bar also notes that the joint expert psychiatric report of Dr Badiah Yahya and Dr Nor Hayati Ali – the experts engaged by MACC who were present during most of the court proceedings and had interviewed Teoh Beng Hock’s family members, housemate and work colleagues – stated:
We did not have any evidence on how the investigation was conducted as there were “no written questions posted to [Teoh Beng Hock]” or audio recording as to ascertain the amount of pressure that he experienced. It is not known whether he had experienced in his mind the effects of being possibly prosecuted on the allegations, whether it would have been devastating for him and/or his organisation. This should require more information on what was said and done in the period taken [sic] into custody until he was found dead.
It is very clear to the Malaysian Bar that full responsibility for Teoh Beng Hock’s death lies squarely and solely on the MACC, and that immediate action must be taken to hold the culpable officers accountable for their behaviour. In this regard, we welcome the reported statement by Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, that “appropriate action would be taken against the officers through the process of law without delay”. The authorities should investigate the relevant MACC officers for possible offences under sections 304 and 304A of the Penal Code, namely for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and for causing the death of TBH by negligence, respectively.
The Malaysian Bar also calls on the Government of Malaysia and MACC to consider:
* offering an unqualified written apology to Teoh Beng Hock’s family, and to the citizens of Malaysia, for his death; and
* making reasonable recompense to Teoh Beng Hock’s family in respect of his death. The Malaysian Bar extends its heartfelt sympathy once again to Teoh Beng Hock’s family and loved ones.
- Lim Chee Wee is the President of the Malaysian Bar

Talent

SINGAPORE - Former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said Singapore would not be able to punch above its own weight if it were to depend on talent from its own population.

He was speaking at a dialogue to wrap up the two-day South Asian Diaspora convention in Singapore on Friday.

DBS Bank's CEO Piyush Gupta posted a question to Mr Lee, asking just how big the issue of attracting foreign talent in Singapore is, having noted that it was a hot topic during the recent General Election.

Mr Lee felt it was an issue among Singaporeans even before the election.

Mr Lee said: "For some time, the Singaporean has felt the competition from talented foreigners. But these are people who have come here to become our citizens and I am a firm believer that the more talent that you have in a society, the better the society will grow.

"If Singapore depends on the talent it can produce out of three million people, it's not going to punch above its weight.

"It's because we have been drawing talent from across the globe - South Asia, Northeast Asia, China, India and beyond that - you have a vibrant economy which is way beyond what three million Singaporeans with the talent they can produce can do.

"So you've got to accept the discomfort, which the local citizens fear that they are competing unequally for jobs. (It) cannot be helped.

"But without them, the jobs will not be there to begin with. So welcome talent and we'll continue to welcome talent."

When asked how the political problem associated with the foreign talent issue could be managed, Mr Lee said: "You just have to assuage it.

"What is the choice - slow growth with no input of talent or faster growth with input of talent and the feeling that some of the top jobs are going to the foreigners? You may get no jobs at all if there were no growth."

Ambiga dedicates UK doctorate to Baharuddin, PSM 6

Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan has dedicated her honorary law doctorate to the late Baharuddin Ahmad and the six Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) leaders now held under the Emergency Ordinance.
The Bersih 2.0 chairman also dedicated the award, conferred by her alma mater, the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, to the “brave people of Malaysia” whom she said had overcome “fear of intimidation and harassment” when they dared to march with her on July 9.
“The real heroes of that day are our friend and supporter Allahyarham Baharuddin Ahmad who paid the ultimate price in fighting a noble cause, the six members of the Socialist Party of Malaysia who, as we speak, sit in solitary confinement under preventive detention laws and finally the brave people of Malaysia who overcame their fear of intimidation and harassment to uphold their fundamental rights.
“With all my heart, I dedicate this honour you have bestowed upon me to them,” she said in her university acceptance speech received here today.
She touched briefly on the events of July 9 but did not lash out at the Najib administration, choosing instead to honour Bersih 2.0 supporters and advise graduating law students to use their knowledge to fight injustices.
“You have already heard of the events of July 9 in Malaysia. Whilst it brought out the worst in some, it brought out the best in others and this is where our hope lies,” she said.
The former Bar Council president has been the target of much criticism of late, with many anti-Bersih 2.0 parties calling for her head over the chaos that took place on July 9.
Even Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has been generously doling out accusations against Ambiga and her Bersih 2.0 movement, claiming the rally was an attempt to oust him from government.
Ambiga, however, highlighted in her speech that not all of Najib’s men were happy with how the administration had clamped down on the rally.
“There were some in government who opposed the methods used to shut us down,” she said. “Even doctors left their comfort zones to speak up against injustices. And of course there were the lawyers and the independent media who stood on the side of truth and justice.”
Ambiga also spoke on the “rule of law”, saying that Malaysia’s democracy was still being held back by repressive laws, turning it into a country that practises “rule by law”.
She cited the example of preventive detention laws that “lock people away without affording them the basic right to a trial”, likely referring to the Emergency Ordinance and the Internal Security Act (ISA).
Ambiga told graduating students that in their quest to uphold the rule of law and pursuit of profit, they should also be reminded of their role to fight injustices.
“You are now a proud member of an army of people that is equipped with all that is necessary to both practise law and to fight injustice. I urge you to use this arsenal of knowledge and your passion for justice to fight for those who are downtrodden,” she said.
“Who better to remind those in power of their responsibilities to their citizens than lawyers trained in understanding the difference between ‘Rule of Law’ and ‘Rule by Law’?”
Ambiga pointed out that with the technological advancements in today’s world, any injustice is quickly communicated across the globe through social media tools and the Internet.
By using this, she said, individuals could stay connected and offer aid to one another easily.
“We can reach out to each other using these new means of communication and we owe it to each other to stand together for what is right,” she said.
The Bersih 2.0 rally has made a major splash among the Internet community, with thousands of Malaysians sharing their experiences via social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Thousands have also resorted to recording their disdain for the Najib administration online, resulting in numerous Facebook fan pages being set up to call for the prime minister and his Cabinet’s resignation.

-  Malaysian Insider