YOURSAY | ‘We hope to see changes in order that we can live without duress and fear.’

Pressed by student, Obama vows to nudge Najib on transparency

CQ Muar: US President Barack Obama's message is crisp and clear to the Malaysian government led by PM Najib Abdul Razak.

All those hints Obama dropped were clearly directed and meant to be noted by our government.

The entire nation had been subjected to pressures and harassment each time these concerns and issues are raised by members of the public, opposition lawmakers, activists and so on.

With Obama's visit to this country in conjunction with the Asean Summit, we hope to see changes in order that we can live without duress and fear.

Without the need to elaborate further, I wish to quote the president's last sentence: "Countries work best when everybody has a voice that can be respected, where the press can report on what is happening and when people can organise peacefully."

Thank you, Mr President.

Anonymous #20513663: Obama, please ask your golfing buddy why government agencies reporting directly to him are calling for jihad against syiah and why they are continually spreading extremist ideologies through mosques nationwide.

Ask why they teach people to hate Christians and Jews. Ask why Malaysia's religious authorities go around arresting and 're-educating' all those who don't agree with them, including women and children.

Ask why your buddy is doing all he can through his 'conniving militants' to incite religious hatred in this country.

Ask him why his government is funding extreme-right organisations. Ask why he is consorting with those who are trying to implement hudud.

And we the Malaysian people have questions for you too: Why are you supporting extremism in Malaysia? (Sorry, but that is the perception.)

Secondly, regarding the human trafficking blacklist debacle: Are Malaysian and other non-American lives worth as much as American ones?

My fellow Malaysians, I have some questions for you too: Think about where the dirty money from Malaysia goes. Think about who is involved in moving it around. Malaysia's web of corruption has collaborators everywhere.

Finally, think about who elected Obama, who funded his campaign and thus what his priorities and interests are. Open your eyes to the global web and structures of evil in which we are caught. And weep for our country.

Jaycee: President Obama, just tell our PM in the face that it is not right to keep billions of ringgit in his, the PM's, personal account, jail the opposition leader with false charges, and arrest anyone who criticise him and his administration.

And also please tell the PM that he should resign.

Anonymous #07451242: Young man, you got a lot to learn. Voice out your dissatisfaction through the ballot box. Influence your peers and your elders to do the same.

It's like crying and going to your dad to reprimand the boy who bullied you. It's a shame you are asking a foreigner to tell your leader what to do.

You think it's going to happen? Fat hopes.

Kleeo: To those people who think that Obama should just be quiet because Najib won't listen anyway, I guess they would also do nothing if their teenage kid is stubborn and rebellious.

What's the point? He/she wouldn't listen anyway.

The fact is, no one fully knows what effect our words and actions have on others. It might have no effect, or it might have a small effect, or it might have a domino effect that will lead to real and substantial change.

To throw your hands up and admit defeat is irresponsible and cowardly. Everyone, including Obama, should persistently stand up against corruption and tyranny.

Turvy: This is how the conversation went in the golf course.

“Hey Jo”, that's Obama's name for him, “you got some bright kids out there.”

“Ya, I know, we've got the best education system in the world.”

“Ha, ha, you know, one of them asked me if I could, kinda, you know, tell you to be more transparent?”

“They told you that, eh?”

“Ha, ha, you know kids?”

They both laugh. The media release from the White House states that the president yesterday raised the serious issue of transparency with the Malaysian PM and they had a full and frank discussion on the topic.

Firestone: The Young South-East Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) town hall meeting held at Taylor's University?

Hey, Obama, ask the college principal if it is true the college lost all the government (Mara) scholars because the college refused to allow their college buses to fetch the government protesters (at the red shirt rally on Sept 16).

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