did they have an open house just because of having it and/or because of vmy?!?...
am pretty speechless...
p/s ; mca and gerakan rundogs!... where are you when the chinese needs you?!?... dun expect you to do miracles afterall you belongs to them... but, not even squeak is totally unacceptable!... shame on you!...
p/s ; not being a racist and/or sour grape.. but, fm a layman point of view.. the weighing scale is definitely having some one sided problems and no one in the family dare rectifying it...
Show respect for Chinese cultural traditions & customs by including Chinese characteristics in the performances of the National 2007 Chinese New Year Open House which has nothing culturally Chinese and not how Chinese New Year celebrated in Malaysia
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Email of Official Complaint to Minister of Culture, Arts And Heritage Datuk Rais Yatim
by Lim Guan Eng
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Melaka, Thursday): DAP express deep regrets and disappointment that the National 2007 Chinese New Year Open House does not include any Chinese cultural characteristics in the celebrations to be officiated by Yang di Pertuan Agung in Hang Tuah Mall in Melaka on 24.2.2007 organised by the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage and the Melaka State government. DAP urges Minister Of Culture, Arts And Heritage Datuk Dr Rais Yatim to correct this grave omission and show respect for Chinese cultural tradition and customs by including cultural characteristics as there is nothing culturally Chinese in the proposed performances of the National 2007 Chinese New Year Open House.
Such omission is a serious error that has hurt the sensitivities and slighted the feelings of the Chinese community as an act of insincerity in properly welcoming Chinese New Year. Such a celebration is weird as this is definitely not how Chinese New Year celebrated in Malaysia.
There are neither Chinese characters nor Chinese cultural performances such as lion dance listed as part of the official programme prepared by your Ministry. There are not even Chinese speeches nor Chinese New Year greetings in Chinese.
The only performance is Tarian Joget Malaysia , march-pasts, singing of a song "Budi Bahasa Budaya Kita" and a fireworks display. Are Chinese cultural performances not appropriate enough to be watched by our King? The Chinese community can see no reason why lion dances can not be performed before the King as part of the official programme when this is Chinese New Year.
During advertisements for Visit Malaysia Year 2007, the multi-racial and multi-cultural aspect of Malaysia is used to attract foreign tourists into our country. Why is this year's National Chinese New Year Open House celebrated in a manner contrary to what is advertised to attract foreign tourists without any Chinese cultural elements?
Neither Chinese nor any foreigner would accept that this is a Chinese New Year celebration event if there are no Chinese cultural performances. If Chinese cultural performances are deemed as unfit to be part of the official programme, then the government should stop such pretence of respecting the diverse cultures and races by correcting our tourism advertisements.
The Ministry has a responsibility to explain to the Chinese community whether it is a policy to remove and denude this National Chinese New Year Open House of all Chinse cultural elements. Or reveal which Ministry official planned the programme and was any Chinese cultural organization consulted? Any failure to explain the rationale for this denial of Chinese cultural elements will only raise suspicions that your Ministry is only interested in one culture instead of our society's multi-cultural traditions.
This is the best opportunity for you to prove your sincerity in respecting the diverse cultures and races to promote a harmonious society. By including Chinese cultural traditions in the National Chinese New Year Open House, you can not only correct the grave mistake that has hurt the sensitivities of the Chinese community but also reaffirm your commitment towards creating a Malaysian Race with commendable cultural values through activities organized and participated by all races.
http://www.dapmalaysia.org/english/2007/feb07/lge/lge569.htm
Monday, February 26, 2007
60 minutes interview with samy vellu... i'm no dracula...
it's certainly a big disgrace to dracula!..
at least dracula chooses their victims before sucking their blood... uncle sam is totally different, he sucks every single drop of blood fm every single one of us...
Exclusive interview:
'I'm no Dracula'
25 Feb 2007
V. VASUDEVAN and RANJEETHA PAKIAM
----------------------------------------------------------
Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu speaks his mind on that ‘bad boy’ outburst, toll concession agreements, the government compensating concessionaires, hiking toll rates, the threats to MIC, the general election...
Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu caught many by surprise with his remark about not being the "bad boy" of tolls. It was unusual for the man who has triumphed over greater challenges to lament. During a 60-minute interview with V. VASUDEVAN and RANJEETHA PAKIAM, the colourful Samy Vellu reveals the reason for the uncharacteristic remark and talks about Dracula, why highway concession agreements are classified under the Official Secrets Act, his critics and the MIC.
Q: Your outburst about not being "the bad boy" of tolls took many by surprise. All kinds of allegations have been levelled at you over the years regarding toll hikes, so why did you react that way?
A: There’s pressure being applied now by the opposition. They were trying to paint a picture that I make all these decisions to bring hardship to road users and the people, which is not true.
I had wanted to say it for a long time, so I did it on that day (Feb 11), because, the previous day, Lim Kit Siang (the Opposition leader) had used a word which was really hurtful.
Lim Kit Siang said I was going for blood. He was indirectly saying I’m a Dracula. Only a Dracula goes for blood. A man and politician of his age and experience should be more cultured when he talks about other people.
Q: But it is normal for him as opposition leader to harp on the wrongs in government?
A: He has been talking and getting away with it, so he feels that he has the licence to shoot.
Take the Butterworth Outer Ring Road project. His son Lim Guan Eng asked why the cost of the road had shot up from RM470 million to RM700 million. He does not realise that it is a total scheme.
The privatisation part is only RM470 million. But the other part was done by the Public Works Department and it cost RM275 million. He went to Sungai Nyior, Butterworth, and said: "They have swindled the people’s money."
The opposition has been saying all sorts of things but I had kept quiet.
Q: What did your Cabinet colleagues say about the ‘bad boy’ remark?
A: (Laughs) They didn’t say anything. They were calm about it. My Cabinet colleagues are very reasonable. Every time there is discussion about a toll rise, they will ask many questions. They will want to know why it is being done and whether there are ways to avoid it or reduce it.
Q: Has any Cabinet member ever said that this is wrong?
A: (Laughs again) No, no, not them.
Q: People are confused. Why was there a need to classify the highway concession agreements under the Official Secrets Act?
A: Concession agreements are attached to Cabinet papers. Since a Cabinet paper is a classified paper, the attachment also becomes classified. Until we take it out and say this is separate, anything attached to a Cabinet paper automatically becomes classified under the OSA.
Q: So it’s not a case of you protecting the concessionaire or you simply classifying it as an OSA document?
A: No. We are servants of the Cabinet. We execute Cabinet directives. In the process of execution, we often get scolded by many people, especially if it means a fare or price hike.
Q: You have no problems with anyone in the opposition or anyone else looking at the concession agreements?
A: There is nothing wrong in allowing the people to look at the concession agreements.
I feel that it is better to allow everybody to look at the concession agreement. If they dig and find out something, let them find out. We’ll answer their questions.
After the accusations that the government was trying to hide something, I went to the Cabinet three weeks ago and asked them if we could open the concession agreements for public scrutiny.
The prime minister said: "OK. You submit a paper." Then we went to the Attorney-General. He said it was all right. But there is a clause in the agreement that says that if either party wants to make public the agreements, they have to seek permission from each other.
So, I told the Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong management that we were going to let the public view the agreement. They had no objections.
Q: How many highway concession agreements are there in Malaysia?
A: A total of 21. Several other projects are being built. One is the Putrajaya Expressway (dedicated highway), another is the Duta Expressway, and yet another is the Kuantan-Terengganu (Second East Coast Highway).
The work has not started yet on the West Coast Highway from Taiping to Banting. The Cabinet has approved it, but the EPU (Economic Planning Unit) is still doing some studies.
Q: Are you prepared to declassify all 21?
A: Yes.
Q: How soon do you think the concession agreements can be declassified?
A: As soon as I come back (from Syria, as part of the prime minister’s delegation). Most probably before the end of March, I will get it to the Cabinet for approval.
Q: Do you think your critics will find anything?
A: Let them look at the cost. They can also look at the amount of money that has been borrowed. See, you borrow RM1 billion, you pay back RM1.2 billion as interest. So the cost becomes RM2.2 billion. In 15 years, the cost becomes even higher.
Q: You think they are going to be disappointed?
A: They will be disappointed. In many of the concessions, the government paid for the acquisition of land. Now, we have decided the concessionaire should meet the cost of land acquisition. That means that this will further increase the cost and they will ask for higher tolls to be levied.
Q: Why can’t the concession agreement be extended to keep the toll down?
A: Extend the concession to 30 or 40 years? You cannot do that, the bank will not agree. The lending period for the bank is 10 years, or a maximum of 15 years. They want back the money within that period.
Q: People keep asking, how is it that you have privatisation but the government ends up compensating concessionaires? How is the agreement actually worked out? If it is privatisation, shouldn’t they be making a profit?
A: No. The company, LDP, did not make any money. Originally, LDP started from one point to another but due to traffic congestion, I proposed to the government and to the EPU that we put five interchanges in between for people to enter and exit easily.
That cost more than RM400 million. So the government told the concession company to borrow the money. The concession company borrowed from EPF and built the interchanges, resulting in smoother traffic flow and convenience to the public.
But the critics are saying the company made RM80 million profit. The RM80 million is a paper profit, not a cash profit. And it is what the government compensated the company. Otherwise, there would be no profit at all.
Q: Is it true you are working on a new way of tabulating toll figures?
A: We are working on some ideas. Say, if it’s a 30-year toll period, then perhaps toll rates can be raised once in five or seven years. Now, some of them raise toll rates once in three years. We are thinking of ways to work out the costs. We will talk to the firms and banks about how best to do this.
Q: Are you looking to other countries for better methods of doing it?
A: We can’t go to other countries as they are all very costly. We are cheaper. They’ll come to us now. (laughs).
Q: Can motorists hope for any highway in the Klang Valley to become toll-free anytime soon?
A: Yes. I think the next one to be toll-free is the North Klang Straits Bypass, in 2009. Shapadu is the concessionaire for that stretch.
Q: Will the government continue collecting toll after any concession agreement expires?
A: No. When the Jalan Kuching and Jalan Pahang concession period was about to end, there were proposals to continue collecting toll, but the Cabinet said no. A promise is a promise.
We have closed the Senai toll, too. We paid RM320 million in compensation. And in Port Dickson, we have asked PLUS to buy over the Seremban-Port Dickson stretch. They call it a ‘rugi’ (loss) road — in a day you have only 300 cars using it.
Q: Coming to the MIC, recently Pas launched an Indian wing to attract Indian voters. Keadilan has brought in businessman Datuk N. Nallakarupan and is making an effort to shore up its Indian wing. Do you think this will influence the Indians and the community’s voting pattern at the next election?
A: We have seen this before. Many Opposition parties have launched their Indian wings but eventually they come to nothing.
The MIC has a strong connection with the people. We care for the people because we are with them everyday. Our communication with them is direct.
We have created a new style of political approach. If it is just talking on the platform and walking away, it doesn’t amount to anything. On the question of Pas opening up an Indian wing, I am amazed by it.
The Barisan Nasional is so successful because it has made the people think as one, to be together while they live their own cultures.
I don’t think any Pas leader has ever openly announced that it will allow others the liberty of having their own culture, their religion. And even if they say: "Yes, we will allow it," they will put a rope around it and start pulling.
Q: You don’t anticipate any problem from Pas forming an Indian wing?
A: No, I don’t think the Malaysian Indians will trust them.
Q: Do you think the DAP is a problem to the MIC?
A: Their group of Indians have reached a certain level of awareness. They know that the DAP is just about six or seven people. No other Indian can come up in the DAP. Karpal Singh is very strong, that’s how he has survived. And M. Kulasegaran (Ipoh Barat MP) is trying to catch up with Karpal. Wherever they contest, we know how to deal with them.
Q: Last year was a good year for you, you finally got a team where everyone is with you. How is your new deputy doing? Are you happy with him and the team?
A: I have a free heart now. I don’t have to keep one eye open all the time for fear that the man sleeping beside me will stab me... That is important. They are very obedient, they take directives, they work, do their own planning and carry on with their work, which enhances my own work.
My programme is large. I’ll be all over the country doing this and that. These people come and support me at all times and they themselves do a lot of work. Like (deputy MIC president Datuk G.) Palanivel, who does a lot of work on his own. At times, when I need to discuss certain things with them, with one signal and they are there. They will come out with what they have on their minds.
Q: You are happiest now as MIC president?
A: Yes. (with a big smile)
Q: On Thursday, at the Central Working Committee meeting, you talked about the coming general election. How many incumbents are you thinking of replacing?
A: I can’t tell you that. We have a majority of new fellows, except for a few veterans. I’ve contested seven times. The rest are two- or three-term representatives. Palanivel has contested since 1990.
Q: Some of the state exco members have been around for long. Why is that?
A: You see, the veterans work very fast. You tell them to do something, they can get the work done through the state government. The new ones often lack certain things. But generally, all of them co-operate very well.
Q: You said you have created a new style of approach with Indians. What is that?
A: Our communication with them is direct. Take me for instance. When I switch on my handphone in the mornings, there will be over a hundred calls from people trying to communicate their needs. When I am in the car, I am busy attending to calls and handling problems faced by ordinary people.
For example, husbands running away is a common problem. If a woman is left to fend for herself, she will come to the MIC for help. These are the things that only the MIC can take to the government, can get assistance from the Welfare Department.
We also provide our own assistance. One year, I think we spend nearly RM5 million on the ordinary people. And every Tuesday morning, we open our headquarters and I sit there to listen to them directly.
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Sunday/Frontpage/20070225074455/Article/index_html
at least dracula chooses their victims before sucking their blood... uncle sam is totally different, he sucks every single drop of blood fm every single one of us...
Exclusive interview:
'I'm no Dracula'
25 Feb 2007
V. VASUDEVAN and RANJEETHA PAKIAM
----------------------------------------------------------
Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu speaks his mind on that ‘bad boy’ outburst, toll concession agreements, the government compensating concessionaires, hiking toll rates, the threats to MIC, the general election...
Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu caught many by surprise with his remark about not being the "bad boy" of tolls. It was unusual for the man who has triumphed over greater challenges to lament. During a 60-minute interview with V. VASUDEVAN and RANJEETHA PAKIAM, the colourful Samy Vellu reveals the reason for the uncharacteristic remark and talks about Dracula, why highway concession agreements are classified under the Official Secrets Act, his critics and the MIC.
Q: Your outburst about not being "the bad boy" of tolls took many by surprise. All kinds of allegations have been levelled at you over the years regarding toll hikes, so why did you react that way?
A: There’s pressure being applied now by the opposition. They were trying to paint a picture that I make all these decisions to bring hardship to road users and the people, which is not true.
I had wanted to say it for a long time, so I did it on that day (Feb 11), because, the previous day, Lim Kit Siang (the Opposition leader) had used a word which was really hurtful.
Lim Kit Siang said I was going for blood. He was indirectly saying I’m a Dracula. Only a Dracula goes for blood. A man and politician of his age and experience should be more cultured when he talks about other people.
Q: But it is normal for him as opposition leader to harp on the wrongs in government?
A: He has been talking and getting away with it, so he feels that he has the licence to shoot.
Take the Butterworth Outer Ring Road project. His son Lim Guan Eng asked why the cost of the road had shot up from RM470 million to RM700 million. He does not realise that it is a total scheme.
The privatisation part is only RM470 million. But the other part was done by the Public Works Department and it cost RM275 million. He went to Sungai Nyior, Butterworth, and said: "They have swindled the people’s money."
The opposition has been saying all sorts of things but I had kept quiet.
Q: What did your Cabinet colleagues say about the ‘bad boy’ remark?
A: (Laughs) They didn’t say anything. They were calm about it. My Cabinet colleagues are very reasonable. Every time there is discussion about a toll rise, they will ask many questions. They will want to know why it is being done and whether there are ways to avoid it or reduce it.
Q: Has any Cabinet member ever said that this is wrong?
A: (Laughs again) No, no, not them.
Q: People are confused. Why was there a need to classify the highway concession agreements under the Official Secrets Act?
A: Concession agreements are attached to Cabinet papers. Since a Cabinet paper is a classified paper, the attachment also becomes classified. Until we take it out and say this is separate, anything attached to a Cabinet paper automatically becomes classified under the OSA.
Q: So it’s not a case of you protecting the concessionaire or you simply classifying it as an OSA document?
A: No. We are servants of the Cabinet. We execute Cabinet directives. In the process of execution, we often get scolded by many people, especially if it means a fare or price hike.
Q: You have no problems with anyone in the opposition or anyone else looking at the concession agreements?
A: There is nothing wrong in allowing the people to look at the concession agreements.
I feel that it is better to allow everybody to look at the concession agreement. If they dig and find out something, let them find out. We’ll answer their questions.
After the accusations that the government was trying to hide something, I went to the Cabinet three weeks ago and asked them if we could open the concession agreements for public scrutiny.
The prime minister said: "OK. You submit a paper." Then we went to the Attorney-General. He said it was all right. But there is a clause in the agreement that says that if either party wants to make public the agreements, they have to seek permission from each other.
So, I told the Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong management that we were going to let the public view the agreement. They had no objections.
Q: How many highway concession agreements are there in Malaysia?
A: A total of 21. Several other projects are being built. One is the Putrajaya Expressway (dedicated highway), another is the Duta Expressway, and yet another is the Kuantan-Terengganu (Second East Coast Highway).
The work has not started yet on the West Coast Highway from Taiping to Banting. The Cabinet has approved it, but the EPU (Economic Planning Unit) is still doing some studies.
Q: Are you prepared to declassify all 21?
A: Yes.
Q: How soon do you think the concession agreements can be declassified?
A: As soon as I come back (from Syria, as part of the prime minister’s delegation). Most probably before the end of March, I will get it to the Cabinet for approval.
Q: Do you think your critics will find anything?
A: Let them look at the cost. They can also look at the amount of money that has been borrowed. See, you borrow RM1 billion, you pay back RM1.2 billion as interest. So the cost becomes RM2.2 billion. In 15 years, the cost becomes even higher.
Q: You think they are going to be disappointed?
A: They will be disappointed. In many of the concessions, the government paid for the acquisition of land. Now, we have decided the concessionaire should meet the cost of land acquisition. That means that this will further increase the cost and they will ask for higher tolls to be levied.
Q: Why can’t the concession agreement be extended to keep the toll down?
A: Extend the concession to 30 or 40 years? You cannot do that, the bank will not agree. The lending period for the bank is 10 years, or a maximum of 15 years. They want back the money within that period.
Q: People keep asking, how is it that you have privatisation but the government ends up compensating concessionaires? How is the agreement actually worked out? If it is privatisation, shouldn’t they be making a profit?
A: No. The company, LDP, did not make any money. Originally, LDP started from one point to another but due to traffic congestion, I proposed to the government and to the EPU that we put five interchanges in between for people to enter and exit easily.
That cost more than RM400 million. So the government told the concession company to borrow the money. The concession company borrowed from EPF and built the interchanges, resulting in smoother traffic flow and convenience to the public.
But the critics are saying the company made RM80 million profit. The RM80 million is a paper profit, not a cash profit. And it is what the government compensated the company. Otherwise, there would be no profit at all.
Q: Is it true you are working on a new way of tabulating toll figures?
A: We are working on some ideas. Say, if it’s a 30-year toll period, then perhaps toll rates can be raised once in five or seven years. Now, some of them raise toll rates once in three years. We are thinking of ways to work out the costs. We will talk to the firms and banks about how best to do this.
Q: Are you looking to other countries for better methods of doing it?
A: We can’t go to other countries as they are all very costly. We are cheaper. They’ll come to us now. (laughs).
Q: Can motorists hope for any highway in the Klang Valley to become toll-free anytime soon?
A: Yes. I think the next one to be toll-free is the North Klang Straits Bypass, in 2009. Shapadu is the concessionaire for that stretch.
Q: Will the government continue collecting toll after any concession agreement expires?
A: No. When the Jalan Kuching and Jalan Pahang concession period was about to end, there were proposals to continue collecting toll, but the Cabinet said no. A promise is a promise.
We have closed the Senai toll, too. We paid RM320 million in compensation. And in Port Dickson, we have asked PLUS to buy over the Seremban-Port Dickson stretch. They call it a ‘rugi’ (loss) road — in a day you have only 300 cars using it.
Q: Coming to the MIC, recently Pas launched an Indian wing to attract Indian voters. Keadilan has brought in businessman Datuk N. Nallakarupan and is making an effort to shore up its Indian wing. Do you think this will influence the Indians and the community’s voting pattern at the next election?
A: We have seen this before. Many Opposition parties have launched their Indian wings but eventually they come to nothing.
The MIC has a strong connection with the people. We care for the people because we are with them everyday. Our communication with them is direct.
We have created a new style of political approach. If it is just talking on the platform and walking away, it doesn’t amount to anything. On the question of Pas opening up an Indian wing, I am amazed by it.
The Barisan Nasional is so successful because it has made the people think as one, to be together while they live their own cultures.
I don’t think any Pas leader has ever openly announced that it will allow others the liberty of having their own culture, their religion. And even if they say: "Yes, we will allow it," they will put a rope around it and start pulling.
Q: You don’t anticipate any problem from Pas forming an Indian wing?
A: No, I don’t think the Malaysian Indians will trust them.
Q: Do you think the DAP is a problem to the MIC?
A: Their group of Indians have reached a certain level of awareness. They know that the DAP is just about six or seven people. No other Indian can come up in the DAP. Karpal Singh is very strong, that’s how he has survived. And M. Kulasegaran (Ipoh Barat MP) is trying to catch up with Karpal. Wherever they contest, we know how to deal with them.
Q: Last year was a good year for you, you finally got a team where everyone is with you. How is your new deputy doing? Are you happy with him and the team?
A: I have a free heart now. I don’t have to keep one eye open all the time for fear that the man sleeping beside me will stab me... That is important. They are very obedient, they take directives, they work, do their own planning and carry on with their work, which enhances my own work.
My programme is large. I’ll be all over the country doing this and that. These people come and support me at all times and they themselves do a lot of work. Like (deputy MIC president Datuk G.) Palanivel, who does a lot of work on his own. At times, when I need to discuss certain things with them, with one signal and they are there. They will come out with what they have on their minds.
Q: You are happiest now as MIC president?
A: Yes. (with a big smile)
Q: On Thursday, at the Central Working Committee meeting, you talked about the coming general election. How many incumbents are you thinking of replacing?
A: I can’t tell you that. We have a majority of new fellows, except for a few veterans. I’ve contested seven times. The rest are two- or three-term representatives. Palanivel has contested since 1990.
Q: Some of the state exco members have been around for long. Why is that?
A: You see, the veterans work very fast. You tell them to do something, they can get the work done through the state government. The new ones often lack certain things. But generally, all of them co-operate very well.
Q: You said you have created a new style of approach with Indians. What is that?
A: Our communication with them is direct. Take me for instance. When I switch on my handphone in the mornings, there will be over a hundred calls from people trying to communicate their needs. When I am in the car, I am busy attending to calls and handling problems faced by ordinary people.
For example, husbands running away is a common problem. If a woman is left to fend for herself, she will come to the MIC for help. These are the things that only the MIC can take to the government, can get assistance from the Welfare Department.
We also provide our own assistance. One year, I think we spend nearly RM5 million on the ordinary people. And every Tuesday morning, we open our headquarters and I sit there to listen to them directly.
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Sunday/Frontpage/20070225074455/Article/index_html
30 minutes interview with marina mahathir.. anything but politics...
a pretty 'light' interview...
JUST as Marina Mahathir was about to leave for lunch on Thursday, rentakini ‘ambushed’ her for a light-hearted interview somewhere in a Bangsar building.
Like the good natured person that she is and living up to her rather friendly and down-to-earth demeanour, Marina sportingly obliged ... despite her growling stomach (I’m hungry, she says).
Well, we learn that Marina is a Merdeka year baby, has high regard for Bill Clinton and the Perlis mufti, worries about teenage sex, will not go for cosmetic surgery and is a good advertisement for Mitsubishi. (Wonder why the automaker never thought of getting Marina to model for them)
Here’s the chit-chat with Malaysia’s former First Daughter - we asked for 15 minutes of her ‘lunch time’ but she graciously gave us 30.
What did you do on Valentine’s Day yesterday?
I didn’t do much really ... in fact, I think I didn’t do anything of significance. I didn’t get any flowers or chocolates. Just received the day’s good wishes from girlfriends.
So Valentine’s Day isn’t that exciting for you now?
Not after you have reached a certain age.
Aaah, age! You are not secretive about your age, are you?
Well, well... oh... I’m the same age as this country.
Some conservative Malaysians are against Valentine’s Day. What do you say to that?
It’s just a bit of fun, lah. Nothing serious. Are Malaysians not allowed to have fun sometimes. But you know, some people will always object to everything.
Do you believe in love at first sight?
I’ve heard that it happens. Maybe it does. It hasn’t happened to me. But that’s OK.
Who do you admire as a statesman? Which leader stands out to you?
Besides my dad, you mean? I don’t know, actually. I can’t say I’ve seen anyone who’s really impressive. Maybe (former US president Bill) Clinton. He’s an incredible speaker. He’s got a very compelling style. Compare Clinton to the present guy (George W Bush), I wonder why people switch (their votes) like that.
What about local figures? Apart from your dad, of course.
Hmmm... I have to think. Does it have to be a politician? I’m sorry, I’m really terrible right now. I can’t think of any. I guess my current favourite is the mufti of Perlis (Dr Asri Zainul Abidin). He’s very different, very radical. I’ve never heard him speak live, though.
In your free time, what do you do?
I try to spend it with my kids. Just normal family trips. I will also try to catch up on personal stuff. I have a bunch of girlfriends whom I go out with, have tea, and stuff like that.
What are your hobbies?
You mean apart from being a pain in the butt - I mean, pain in the neck! I don’t really have time for hobbies. No time. Everything I do is with the family.
How many children do you have?
Three. They are 19, 18 and seven years old.
What do you think about sex education for our kids?
I think you should start teaching children (about it) from as young as possible, of course, in accordance with their age. I think you can’t escape from it. You have to do it properly. I can’t say that I’m very good at teaching it. I myself find it very difficult, very awkward. Especially when they’re teenagers and just say, “I know, I know, I know”.
I watch programmes on TV with them, such as music videos, and try to temper them a bit. Like with my daughter, I try to tell her that Britney Spear’s videos is all acting. If you were going to do that in real life...
Are you worried about the incidence of teenage sex in Malaysia?
Yes. I think it is (worrying) because you see an increasing number of abandoned babies. I’ve worked a long time on the Aids issue. I think we need to look at how we approach it. Also, we may think it’s just teenage sex, but a lot of things are going on out there. I don’t think we know the level of violence that young people are faced with.
Will religion be the right way to help resolve such a problem?
I think it’s very important. But the religion has been taught (in such a way) that it’s a lot of ‘you cannot do this, you cannot do that.’ What can you do?!
In general, all religions teach good moral values. We have to see how best we can get these messages across to our young people.
Unicef came out with this report on young people, and there was this girl from the Netherlands who said, “I can buy drugs and alcohol at this place right next to my school. But because it’s legal, it’s not interesting.” So there are other more ways we can explore here.
What makes a good mother?
Communicating. It’s very important. You have to know what’s going on in their lives, know what kind of music they’re listening to, who their friends are. There’s a tendency (for them) not to tell you anything, but you have to find ways to get them to talk.
What does Islam mean to you?
Oh, I thought this was supposed to be a light interview... it’s getting heavier? Yes, Islam means a lot to me. It stands for justice, equality, compassion. It’s just sad that there’s so much interpretation that is so harsh, so dark, so difficult. It’s meant to be easy. It’s a pity, especially to young people. They don’t know how to differentiate between the religion and the people (who interpret the religion).
And your favourite writer is...
Salman Rushdie. I really liked Shalimar the Clown. I recently read Goenawan Mohamad’s Conversations with Difference, which is a compilation of essays from (the Indonesian) Tempo (magazine). There are some people who write really well. I just like good writing. I put a book down when I don’t like the writing.
Do you watch the Oscars, Grammy’s or Golden Globe awards?
Of course. It’s fun to see the famous names, see what they’re wearing... My biggest memory of the recent Grammy’s (I watched the repeat telecast in the evening) is that of Smokey Robinson. Did you seek his face?! It was so stiff, all botoxed and all.
Do you think you’ll ever go for plastic or cosmetic surgery?
No, lah. I’m clinging to the hope that my genes will come through.
Are there any local entertainers who you think can be good role models for young people?
I don’t really know. I think a lot of alternative music by young people today are really interesting. There’s this music video that I saw on YouTube. It was done in Chinese and Malay. It has got all these comments on the haze.
So no role models?
No lah. I don’t really follow (the entertainment industry).
That does not say very much for our local celebrities/entertainers, does it?
Ho ho ho... that’s your opinion.
What car do you drive?
A Mitsubishi Airtrek.
Waaa.
It’s OK lah. A car is just to get from A to Z.
What’s your favourite car?
My first car. A Mitsubishi Colt.
Hey, why not Proton... your dad must be fuming...
That was before Proton came out, in the (early) 1980s.
We’ll publish this on Chinese New Year. Here’s the opportunity for you to say something to your Chinese friends.
Gong Xi Fa Cai and Happy New Year. May this Year of the Khinzir be a good one for everyone.
Are there less and less open houses nowadays?
I don’t know. I always feel bad because I haven’t had an open house for some time. I usually go to my parents house... I don’t make kueh or anything. I just buy them. But I should, lah. It’s a good tradition.
We don’t have any more questions.
Because you’re not getting interesting answers. I’m hungry.
That's why we're letting you go now. Sorry about that. Thanks for your time. Go ahead and have a good lunch.
FAUWAZ ABDUL AZIZ is a member of the malaysiakini team. Readers can write to rentakini by emailing francis@malaysiakini.com
(Anything But Politics is an occasional column featuring political personalities, activists, intellectuals, about everyone really!)
http://www.malaysiakini.com/rentakini/63559
JUST as Marina Mahathir was about to leave for lunch on Thursday, rentakini ‘ambushed’ her for a light-hearted interview somewhere in a Bangsar building.
Like the good natured person that she is and living up to her rather friendly and down-to-earth demeanour, Marina sportingly obliged ... despite her growling stomach (I’m hungry, she says).
Well, we learn that Marina is a Merdeka year baby, has high regard for Bill Clinton and the Perlis mufti, worries about teenage sex, will not go for cosmetic surgery and is a good advertisement for Mitsubishi. (Wonder why the automaker never thought of getting Marina to model for them)
Here’s the chit-chat with Malaysia’s former First Daughter - we asked for 15 minutes of her ‘lunch time’ but she graciously gave us 30.
What did you do on Valentine’s Day yesterday?
I didn’t do much really ... in fact, I think I didn’t do anything of significance. I didn’t get any flowers or chocolates. Just received the day’s good wishes from girlfriends.
So Valentine’s Day isn’t that exciting for you now?
Not after you have reached a certain age.
Aaah, age! You are not secretive about your age, are you?
Well, well... oh... I’m the same age as this country.
Some conservative Malaysians are against Valentine’s Day. What do you say to that?
It’s just a bit of fun, lah. Nothing serious. Are Malaysians not allowed to have fun sometimes. But you know, some people will always object to everything.
Do you believe in love at first sight?
I’ve heard that it happens. Maybe it does. It hasn’t happened to me. But that’s OK.
Who do you admire as a statesman? Which leader stands out to you?
Besides my dad, you mean? I don’t know, actually. I can’t say I’ve seen anyone who’s really impressive. Maybe (former US president Bill) Clinton. He’s an incredible speaker. He’s got a very compelling style. Compare Clinton to the present guy (George W Bush), I wonder why people switch (their votes) like that.
What about local figures? Apart from your dad, of course.
Hmmm... I have to think. Does it have to be a politician? I’m sorry, I’m really terrible right now. I can’t think of any. I guess my current favourite is the mufti of Perlis (Dr Asri Zainul Abidin). He’s very different, very radical. I’ve never heard him speak live, though.
In your free time, what do you do?
I try to spend it with my kids. Just normal family trips. I will also try to catch up on personal stuff. I have a bunch of girlfriends whom I go out with, have tea, and stuff like that.
What are your hobbies?
You mean apart from being a pain in the butt - I mean, pain in the neck! I don’t really have time for hobbies. No time. Everything I do is with the family.
How many children do you have?
Three. They are 19, 18 and seven years old.
What do you think about sex education for our kids?
I think you should start teaching children (about it) from as young as possible, of course, in accordance with their age. I think you can’t escape from it. You have to do it properly. I can’t say that I’m very good at teaching it. I myself find it very difficult, very awkward. Especially when they’re teenagers and just say, “I know, I know, I know”.
I watch programmes on TV with them, such as music videos, and try to temper them a bit. Like with my daughter, I try to tell her that Britney Spear’s videos is all acting. If you were going to do that in real life...
Are you worried about the incidence of teenage sex in Malaysia?
Yes. I think it is (worrying) because you see an increasing number of abandoned babies. I’ve worked a long time on the Aids issue. I think we need to look at how we approach it. Also, we may think it’s just teenage sex, but a lot of things are going on out there. I don’t think we know the level of violence that young people are faced with.
Will religion be the right way to help resolve such a problem?
I think it’s very important. But the religion has been taught (in such a way) that it’s a lot of ‘you cannot do this, you cannot do that.’ What can you do?!
In general, all religions teach good moral values. We have to see how best we can get these messages across to our young people.
Unicef came out with this report on young people, and there was this girl from the Netherlands who said, “I can buy drugs and alcohol at this place right next to my school. But because it’s legal, it’s not interesting.” So there are other more ways we can explore here.
What makes a good mother?
Communicating. It’s very important. You have to know what’s going on in their lives, know what kind of music they’re listening to, who their friends are. There’s a tendency (for them) not to tell you anything, but you have to find ways to get them to talk.
What does Islam mean to you?
Oh, I thought this was supposed to be a light interview... it’s getting heavier? Yes, Islam means a lot to me. It stands for justice, equality, compassion. It’s just sad that there’s so much interpretation that is so harsh, so dark, so difficult. It’s meant to be easy. It’s a pity, especially to young people. They don’t know how to differentiate between the religion and the people (who interpret the religion).
And your favourite writer is...
Salman Rushdie. I really liked Shalimar the Clown. I recently read Goenawan Mohamad’s Conversations with Difference, which is a compilation of essays from (the Indonesian) Tempo (magazine). There are some people who write really well. I just like good writing. I put a book down when I don’t like the writing.
Do you watch the Oscars, Grammy’s or Golden Globe awards?
Of course. It’s fun to see the famous names, see what they’re wearing... My biggest memory of the recent Grammy’s (I watched the repeat telecast in the evening) is that of Smokey Robinson. Did you seek his face?! It was so stiff, all botoxed and all.
Do you think you’ll ever go for plastic or cosmetic surgery?
No, lah. I’m clinging to the hope that my genes will come through.
Are there any local entertainers who you think can be good role models for young people?
I don’t really know. I think a lot of alternative music by young people today are really interesting. There’s this music video that I saw on YouTube. It was done in Chinese and Malay. It has got all these comments on the haze.
So no role models?
No lah. I don’t really follow (the entertainment industry).
That does not say very much for our local celebrities/entertainers, does it?
Ho ho ho... that’s your opinion.
What car do you drive?
A Mitsubishi Airtrek.
Waaa.
It’s OK lah. A car is just to get from A to Z.
What’s your favourite car?
My first car. A Mitsubishi Colt.
Hey, why not Proton... your dad must be fuming...
That was before Proton came out, in the (early) 1980s.
We’ll publish this on Chinese New Year. Here’s the opportunity for you to say something to your Chinese friends.
Gong Xi Fa Cai and Happy New Year. May this Year of the Khinzir be a good one for everyone.
Are there less and less open houses nowadays?
I don’t know. I always feel bad because I haven’t had an open house for some time. I usually go to my parents house... I don’t make kueh or anything. I just buy them. But I should, lah. It’s a good tradition.
We don’t have any more questions.
Because you’re not getting interesting answers. I’m hungry.
That's why we're letting you go now. Sorry about that. Thanks for your time. Go ahead and have a good lunch.
FAUWAZ ABDUL AZIZ is a member of the malaysiakini team. Readers can write to rentakini by emailing francis@malaysiakini.com
(Anything But Politics is an occasional column featuring political personalities, activists, intellectuals, about everyone really!)
http://www.malaysiakini.com/rentakini/63559
Saturday, February 24, 2007
a long shot gamble for anwar to become the prime minister of malaysia...
with all the nonsense is going on in the country... it is not impossible... right game, right strategy and right time may just do the trick...
p/s ; it's not that good to know to know a couple of my dear frens are leaving the country.. migration.. one of the main reasons being enough is enough with the current umno-led govt... think they rather prefer to take the risk of starting everything again than to being killed slowly...
Anwar Long-Shot Gamble
Mageswary Ramakrishnan
08 February 2007
Anwar Ibrahim, still seeking to be Prime Minister, is challenging Malaysia’s entire political structure to win the prize
Out of prison and looking to resume his political life, Anwar Ibrahim, the once and -- he hopes -- future heir apparent to Malaysia’s premiership, is gambling on returning to power by doing what has never been done before: confronting the country’s race-based politics and trying to break the 60-year reign of the ruling United Malays National Organization.
In the Malaysian racial balancing act, ethnic Malays have enjoyed targeted economic preferences for almost 40 years, ostensibly to ease once-tense relations with the prosperous Chinese minority. The government has refused to budge on the system but Anwar says preferences have failed and are contributing to rising tension.
“Certainly there is a growing tension which we have not seen since the late 60’s but the UMNO-led government is in a constant state of denial,” Anwar said in an interview with Asia Sentinel.
With that as a starting point, Anwar says he intends to seek the office that eluded him 10 years ago when he tangled with his one-time mentor, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. He was ousted as deputy prime minister and jailed for six years on charges of corruption and sexual perversion that are almost universally regarded as trumped up. Since his release in 2004 following Mahathir’s retirement, Anwar has largely been outside Malaysia, lecturing at universities in the United States and maintaining that Mahathir’s government went after him to end his political career after he called attention to the endemic corruption in the party.
He returned last year, lambasting the Barisan Nasional, the country’s race-based ruling coalition, in well-attended public gatherings across the country. The coalition, he says, dishes out contracts to UMNO-linked businessmen, tarnishes the rule of law and deludes the ethnic Malay majority with promises of wealth via failed affirmative action policies.
Anwar, who turns 60 this year, has launched a media blitz in anticipation of his return to the electoral arena, giving interviews to anybody who wants to listen. He says he will contest the next election if it is held after April 2008. He is barred from politics until that time because of his prison sentence. Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who led a coalition of parties to victory in 2004, must call an election by early 2009.
Following disastrous race riots between the economically powerful Chinese minority and ethnic Malays that killed hundreds in 1969, the government instituted its New Economic Policy in 1970 to attempt to bridge the economic gap between the two races. The policies continue and increasingly draw criticism from opposition politicians and non-governmental organizations. Efforts to get the government to discontinue the preferences have come to a naught, incurring the wrath of Chinese and Indians who feel the government has helped the Malays enough.
But, Anwar says, the NEP must go simply because it has not looked into the economic well-being of the Malays but helped line the wallets of the ruling elite.
“There has been no trickle-down effect to the poor,” he says. “It’s been benefiting the government and leaders of the ruling UMNO and not the poor Malays.” He is certain, he says, that his message would be well-received by the Malays, who form UMNO’s grassroots support.
“For 30 years, UMNO has told the Malays that the NEP is to help them. But the crux is to the contrary. I will have to make the Malays understand a few hundred million shares have been taken by the ruling elite under the name of the NEP and that the poor Malays got nothing.”
In the NEP’s place, Anwar proposes a national policy which targets poverty eradication and promotes economic well-being irrespective of race. Academics warn the idea seems more feasible on paper, despite the fact that it is spearheaded by Anwar. Their argument is simple – it is an uphill task to get the Malays to understand the NEP was a failure. “The Malays would also want to maintain their superior status among the races,” says an analyst who declined to be named.
Certainly, some academics consider the NEP a failure. The policy gave rise to unequal development of the Malay community – the exact reverse of the policy’s intent. The plan created a small Malay bourgeoisie closely associated with the UMNO elite, disparagingly called the UMNOputra (a play on the Malay bumiputra, or sons of the soil) and a large working class. A Malaysian think-tank set off a firestorm in October by suggesting in a study that ethnic Malays now own an eye-popping 45 percent of Malaysia’s publicly listed corporate equity, far above the goal of 30 percent set by the NEP. The government insists that ethnic Malays control only 19 percent. The study was dismissed by UMNO leaders, who said it was intended to incite anger and confuse Malays. But other critics said what the NEP had done was to create a gilded and unproductive elite that take their education and jobs for granted while dong nothing for rural Malays.
While on the surface it looks as if racial harmony is maintained, tensions continue to brew between the three major ethnic groups. Ethnic Malays comprise some 60 percent of the population and the Chinese 26 percent, with Indians and indigenous groups making up the rest.
The Malaysian government has so far kept a tight lid on racial tensions despite ethnic clashes that periodically bring reminders of the murderous 1969 violence. In 2001, for instance, there were clashes between Indians and Malays in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur, the capital city.
What exacerbates the tension further is the inability of the Chinese and Indians to question special rights and privileges accorded to the Malays. Debates on race relations are considered too sensitive in Malaysia. It remains a topic for heated discussion in tea stalls.
“This is the result of direct threats issued by UMNO. Non-Malays are strictly warned against talking about Malay rights, NEP, race relations and issues relating to Islam,” said Anwar.
UMNO has led the ruling coalition since independence from British colonial rule in 1957. Anwar is now a member of the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) or People’s Justice Party founded and led by his wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. On the face of it, he appears to have virtually no chance of taking the premiership from outside UMNO, particularly because over the recent past ethnic Malay xenophobia has been on the rise. With Anwar arguing for a departure from race-based politics, his task seems impossible.
But there are new factors that could upset the equation, particularly allegations of corruption at the top of UMNO. Najib Tun Razak, the deputy prime minister and son of onetime Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak, faces increasingly serious charges of corruption that could wreak havoc on UMNO.
Najib has previously been impervious to corruption charges, particularly over a huge commission paid to his family for the purchase of submarines for the Malaysian navy, but he has come under additional scrutiny over questions about his role, if any, in murder charges against a prominent Malaysian political analyst with close ties to some of the country’s top political figures.
Abdul Razak Baginda, 46, and two members of a special police unit under Najib that normally exists to protect diplomats, face charges in the murder of a young Mongolian woman, Altantuya Shaariibuu, whose body was found in a patch of jungle near the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Shah Alam in November. She had reportedly been shot twice and torn apart with hand grenades available only to Malaysia’s security forces after trying to get Abdul Razak to acknowledge fathering her baby.
Perceiving weakness, Anwar has launched a ferocious assault on Najib and UMNO over arms purchases carried out by the Defense Ministry while also demanding that police investigate Najib’s ties, if any, to the indicted figures and Altantuya.
But if he pursues his course on the race issue, Anwar could risk new trouble. Prime Minister Abdullah has made it very clear that race relations and Islam are off limits in order to maintain national harmony. Public debates regarding the two issues could be deemed a threat to national security, warranting summary detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
UMNO leaders have been only too happy to echo Abdullah’s call. Late last year, the premier’s son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin told the media that the Chinese community in Malaysia will take advantage of the Malays if UMNO is weak. This not only prompted an outburst from parties within the ruling coalition front but also from senior UMNO members. Abdullah defended Khairy by saying the press had misquoted him; he refused to apologize and agreed his comments are important to defend Malay rights and Islam.
Reinforcing the off-limits policy, the leadership silenced debate on the burial of national hero M.Moorthy last year, whose Muslim identity was in question. An Islamic shariah court declared that Moorthy, the first Malaysian to climb Mount Everest, had converted to Islam before his death. The Islamic tribunal did not give a chance for his wife to give evidence as she is not a Muslim.
Surprisingly the nation’s High Court ruled that it had no jurisdiction in religious matters and could not override the shariah court in such matters. Moorthy was finally buried a Muslim, whether he actually was or not.
Abdullah’s administration quelled public debate on the matter. Anwar, on the other hand, has vehemently condemned the way the case was dealt with. “While speaking in a Muslim rural heartland in Kedah (northern state), I told the people it was wrong for the High Court to deny Moorthy’s wife, who is clearly a non-Muslim, the right to be heard in a civil court.”
Comments like these have earned Anwar the wrath of the government. A recent public speech was refused a police permit. But whether this signals a renewed desire to curb Anwar’s rising popularity remains to be seen. While there is little doubt that Anwar can pull in crowds, Parti Keadilan Rakyat has little mass support. Political observers say Wan Azizah lacks the charm of a leader, and Anwar simply went missing from the local political scene after his acquittal.
“I know I was away for 18 months, lecturing in the US. But I needed the money to support my family. Primarily I needed the international recognition to help me garner support in Malaysia,” he says.
Whatever the reasons, PKR has gained little traction. The Democratic Action Party (DAP) enjoys the support of the opposition Chinese. The Islamist Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) is popular among rural Malays in the northeastern state of Kelantan and Terengganu. PKR, a marginal multi-racial party, remains in limbo.
Anwar is confident that PKR can pull up its socks before the polls, which analysts say will be called by the end of 2007. “We are committed to a reform plan; Reform of the judiciary, administration and the working system of the government. UMNO is, on the other hand, corrupt to the core. I am sure the people will support us."
http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=367&Itemid=31
p/s ; it's not that good to know to know a couple of my dear frens are leaving the country.. migration.. one of the main reasons being enough is enough with the current umno-led govt... think they rather prefer to take the risk of starting everything again than to being killed slowly...
Anwar Long-Shot Gamble
Mageswary Ramakrishnan
08 February 2007
Anwar Ibrahim, still seeking to be Prime Minister, is challenging Malaysia’s entire political structure to win the prize
Out of prison and looking to resume his political life, Anwar Ibrahim, the once and -- he hopes -- future heir apparent to Malaysia’s premiership, is gambling on returning to power by doing what has never been done before: confronting the country’s race-based politics and trying to break the 60-year reign of the ruling United Malays National Organization.
In the Malaysian racial balancing act, ethnic Malays have enjoyed targeted economic preferences for almost 40 years, ostensibly to ease once-tense relations with the prosperous Chinese minority. The government has refused to budge on the system but Anwar says preferences have failed and are contributing to rising tension.
“Certainly there is a growing tension which we have not seen since the late 60’s but the UMNO-led government is in a constant state of denial,” Anwar said in an interview with Asia Sentinel.
With that as a starting point, Anwar says he intends to seek the office that eluded him 10 years ago when he tangled with his one-time mentor, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. He was ousted as deputy prime minister and jailed for six years on charges of corruption and sexual perversion that are almost universally regarded as trumped up. Since his release in 2004 following Mahathir’s retirement, Anwar has largely been outside Malaysia, lecturing at universities in the United States and maintaining that Mahathir’s government went after him to end his political career after he called attention to the endemic corruption in the party.
He returned last year, lambasting the Barisan Nasional, the country’s race-based ruling coalition, in well-attended public gatherings across the country. The coalition, he says, dishes out contracts to UMNO-linked businessmen, tarnishes the rule of law and deludes the ethnic Malay majority with promises of wealth via failed affirmative action policies.
Anwar, who turns 60 this year, has launched a media blitz in anticipation of his return to the electoral arena, giving interviews to anybody who wants to listen. He says he will contest the next election if it is held after April 2008. He is barred from politics until that time because of his prison sentence. Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who led a coalition of parties to victory in 2004, must call an election by early 2009.
Following disastrous race riots between the economically powerful Chinese minority and ethnic Malays that killed hundreds in 1969, the government instituted its New Economic Policy in 1970 to attempt to bridge the economic gap between the two races. The policies continue and increasingly draw criticism from opposition politicians and non-governmental organizations. Efforts to get the government to discontinue the preferences have come to a naught, incurring the wrath of Chinese and Indians who feel the government has helped the Malays enough.
But, Anwar says, the NEP must go simply because it has not looked into the economic well-being of the Malays but helped line the wallets of the ruling elite.
“There has been no trickle-down effect to the poor,” he says. “It’s been benefiting the government and leaders of the ruling UMNO and not the poor Malays.” He is certain, he says, that his message would be well-received by the Malays, who form UMNO’s grassroots support.
“For 30 years, UMNO has told the Malays that the NEP is to help them. But the crux is to the contrary. I will have to make the Malays understand a few hundred million shares have been taken by the ruling elite under the name of the NEP and that the poor Malays got nothing.”
In the NEP’s place, Anwar proposes a national policy which targets poverty eradication and promotes economic well-being irrespective of race. Academics warn the idea seems more feasible on paper, despite the fact that it is spearheaded by Anwar. Their argument is simple – it is an uphill task to get the Malays to understand the NEP was a failure. “The Malays would also want to maintain their superior status among the races,” says an analyst who declined to be named.
Certainly, some academics consider the NEP a failure. The policy gave rise to unequal development of the Malay community – the exact reverse of the policy’s intent. The plan created a small Malay bourgeoisie closely associated with the UMNO elite, disparagingly called the UMNOputra (a play on the Malay bumiputra, or sons of the soil) and a large working class. A Malaysian think-tank set off a firestorm in October by suggesting in a study that ethnic Malays now own an eye-popping 45 percent of Malaysia’s publicly listed corporate equity, far above the goal of 30 percent set by the NEP. The government insists that ethnic Malays control only 19 percent. The study was dismissed by UMNO leaders, who said it was intended to incite anger and confuse Malays. But other critics said what the NEP had done was to create a gilded and unproductive elite that take their education and jobs for granted while dong nothing for rural Malays.
While on the surface it looks as if racial harmony is maintained, tensions continue to brew between the three major ethnic groups. Ethnic Malays comprise some 60 percent of the population and the Chinese 26 percent, with Indians and indigenous groups making up the rest.
The Malaysian government has so far kept a tight lid on racial tensions despite ethnic clashes that periodically bring reminders of the murderous 1969 violence. In 2001, for instance, there were clashes between Indians and Malays in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur, the capital city.
What exacerbates the tension further is the inability of the Chinese and Indians to question special rights and privileges accorded to the Malays. Debates on race relations are considered too sensitive in Malaysia. It remains a topic for heated discussion in tea stalls.
“This is the result of direct threats issued by UMNO. Non-Malays are strictly warned against talking about Malay rights, NEP, race relations and issues relating to Islam,” said Anwar.
UMNO has led the ruling coalition since independence from British colonial rule in 1957. Anwar is now a member of the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) or People’s Justice Party founded and led by his wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. On the face of it, he appears to have virtually no chance of taking the premiership from outside UMNO, particularly because over the recent past ethnic Malay xenophobia has been on the rise. With Anwar arguing for a departure from race-based politics, his task seems impossible.
But there are new factors that could upset the equation, particularly allegations of corruption at the top of UMNO. Najib Tun Razak, the deputy prime minister and son of onetime Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak, faces increasingly serious charges of corruption that could wreak havoc on UMNO.
Najib has previously been impervious to corruption charges, particularly over a huge commission paid to his family for the purchase of submarines for the Malaysian navy, but he has come under additional scrutiny over questions about his role, if any, in murder charges against a prominent Malaysian political analyst with close ties to some of the country’s top political figures.
Abdul Razak Baginda, 46, and two members of a special police unit under Najib that normally exists to protect diplomats, face charges in the murder of a young Mongolian woman, Altantuya Shaariibuu, whose body was found in a patch of jungle near the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Shah Alam in November. She had reportedly been shot twice and torn apart with hand grenades available only to Malaysia’s security forces after trying to get Abdul Razak to acknowledge fathering her baby.
Perceiving weakness, Anwar has launched a ferocious assault on Najib and UMNO over arms purchases carried out by the Defense Ministry while also demanding that police investigate Najib’s ties, if any, to the indicted figures and Altantuya.
But if he pursues his course on the race issue, Anwar could risk new trouble. Prime Minister Abdullah has made it very clear that race relations and Islam are off limits in order to maintain national harmony. Public debates regarding the two issues could be deemed a threat to national security, warranting summary detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
UMNO leaders have been only too happy to echo Abdullah’s call. Late last year, the premier’s son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin told the media that the Chinese community in Malaysia will take advantage of the Malays if UMNO is weak. This not only prompted an outburst from parties within the ruling coalition front but also from senior UMNO members. Abdullah defended Khairy by saying the press had misquoted him; he refused to apologize and agreed his comments are important to defend Malay rights and Islam.
Reinforcing the off-limits policy, the leadership silenced debate on the burial of national hero M.Moorthy last year, whose Muslim identity was in question. An Islamic shariah court declared that Moorthy, the first Malaysian to climb Mount Everest, had converted to Islam before his death. The Islamic tribunal did not give a chance for his wife to give evidence as she is not a Muslim.
Surprisingly the nation’s High Court ruled that it had no jurisdiction in religious matters and could not override the shariah court in such matters. Moorthy was finally buried a Muslim, whether he actually was or not.
Abdullah’s administration quelled public debate on the matter. Anwar, on the other hand, has vehemently condemned the way the case was dealt with. “While speaking in a Muslim rural heartland in Kedah (northern state), I told the people it was wrong for the High Court to deny Moorthy’s wife, who is clearly a non-Muslim, the right to be heard in a civil court.”
Comments like these have earned Anwar the wrath of the government. A recent public speech was refused a police permit. But whether this signals a renewed desire to curb Anwar’s rising popularity remains to be seen. While there is little doubt that Anwar can pull in crowds, Parti Keadilan Rakyat has little mass support. Political observers say Wan Azizah lacks the charm of a leader, and Anwar simply went missing from the local political scene after his acquittal.
“I know I was away for 18 months, lecturing in the US. But I needed the money to support my family. Primarily I needed the international recognition to help me garner support in Malaysia,” he says.
Whatever the reasons, PKR has gained little traction. The Democratic Action Party (DAP) enjoys the support of the opposition Chinese. The Islamist Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) is popular among rural Malays in the northeastern state of Kelantan and Terengganu. PKR, a marginal multi-racial party, remains in limbo.
Anwar is confident that PKR can pull up its socks before the polls, which analysts say will be called by the end of 2007. “We are committed to a reform plan; Reform of the judiciary, administration and the working system of the government. UMNO is, on the other hand, corrupt to the core. I am sure the people will support us."
http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=367&Itemid=31
the ban of fast food/fast food ad...
now they are banning the fast food ad... next, i won't be surprise they ban the fast food, fast food outlets, etc...
are we now being controlled even our own personal food intake?!?... personally, i see this as their next move to control everyone of us...
fm controlling of cyberspace to controlling the way we talk to controlling the way we wear now to control the way we eat...
that mca doc should focus his energy on improving the standard of public health services in the country which is said to be declining...
to those who have direct access to him... try asking him..
wat is fast food?!?...
wat is not nutritious to him?!?...
can he come out with the 'nutrition findings' of every single food that is available in malaysia?!?..
can mamak shops be considered as fast food?!?... since the roti canai, nasi lemak, teh tarik, etc.. are silent killers too!... pls also ban the mamak shops ad, mamak shops, etc... too!..
i dunno really much about silent killers of food.. but, they are certainly killing all of us silently!...
wat's yr view on this?!?...
p/s ; fm the health point of view, there are basically 2 ways of leaving this world.. either you die healthy or die unhealthy... it's our choice, dun mess, dun force and dun command us on wat we wanna do...
are we now being controlled even our own personal food intake?!?... personally, i see this as their next move to control everyone of us...
fm controlling of cyberspace to controlling the way we talk to controlling the way we wear now to control the way we eat...
that mca doc should focus his energy on improving the standard of public health services in the country which is said to be declining...
to those who have direct access to him... try asking him..
wat is fast food?!?...
wat is not nutritious to him?!?...
can he come out with the 'nutrition findings' of every single food that is available in malaysia?!?..
can mamak shops be considered as fast food?!?... since the roti canai, nasi lemak, teh tarik, etc.. are silent killers too!... pls also ban the mamak shops ad, mamak shops, etc... too!..
i dunno really much about silent killers of food.. but, they are certainly killing all of us silently!...
wat's yr view on this?!?...
p/s ; fm the health point of view, there are basically 2 ways of leaving this world.. either you die healthy or die unhealthy... it's our choice, dun mess, dun force and dun command us on wat we wanna do...
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
crash.. boom... bang... where are the fireworks/firecrackers?!?...
haha... :D ...
just thought about this issue over the weekend and came across they story yesterday and today read an article fm patrick teoh's blog on the same exact issue.. he said it brilliantly!... :) ...
Something always confuses me at this time of the year when Chinese New Year is around the corner. What is it? This thing about the fireworks ban is what. Each year during the Chinese New Year season there are always major stories in the mainstream media about the police arresting people caught selling banned fireworks. Firecrackers in particular. A few days ago the circus started with a full color story in The Star about police success in napping some fireworks merchants. Today in The Star (http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/2/12/nation/16854415&sec=nation) the Customs Department director-general announced that they will now fine, on-the-spot, people caught lighting up firecrackers for the coming Chinese New Year celebration. RM100 compound fine. No talk. He even said that if the offender is a child then the parents will be fined.
Wah! Very tough talk man. But seriously. Fireworks are banned and we as law abiding citizens should and must abide by the law. All of us.
Okay, what I am going to say next may make me sound like I am racist and trying to disrupt the racial harmony of Bolehland. I am not. I am merely trying to understand how things work here. I have a right to know. I am concerned.
I live in a predominantly Malay area. I daresay that more than 75% of the population of the area is Malay. Each year during the Hari Raya Aidil Fitri season I hear crackers and fireworks going off in the area making a din to rival American firepower in the Middle East. I live with it because it is a time of celebration for my Malay breathren. Although fireworks are banned. Hiyah. Close one ear lor. We are all Malaysians ma. So I presume that these same people are illegally selling fireworks during those time of celebration. Yes?
Then how come there doesn't seem to be the same efforts made to catch illegal fireworks traders during that particular time of year? Well, not with as big a deal as they always want to make it during Chinese New Year. If this action is to used as an example that people should not break the law then it should be used for all festive seasons when there might be fireworks involved during celebrations. We are all Malaysians. We are law abiding rakyat. We will all support the policing of the law. So don't single out one community as being fireworks crazy criminals can ah?
Maybe, the police think that Chinese Malaysians are more prone to want to make 'noise' during the celebrations than other people. Maybe the newspapers just think that these 'arrests' make good stories during Chinese New Year instead of at other festive occasions. I also don't know anymore la.
http://niamah.blogspot.com/
in a somehow related article which you can find it here did mentioned some sense..
Boy Gets Painful Firecracker Lesson (http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/9/27/nation/15551546&sec=nation)
Today's papers reported of boy's first adventure with carbide. The first of many to come Raya disasters. I dont understand it, how come so many Malays get parts of their bodies burned every Raya? Meriam Buluh, Meriam Tanah, Bom Semut, Bom Ular, Bom Kawan, Bom Bakar Rumah dan letupan-letupan yang sebodoh dengannya. Why why why? Dont they learn from the past? All the poor bastards that got burned, killed or maimed that came out in the papers should teach these other guys a lesson - Dont play with explosives if IQ is lower than thumbtack.
See the boy's picture (http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/9/27/nation/15551546&sec=nation)? Damn, that really cracked me up. I say serve the fucker right. It's because of fuckers like these that the Chinese (if you didnt know, have always used fireworks to usher in their Lunar New Year) can't celebrate with a bang. How many Chink's have had accidents? Maybe 1 Chink gets fucked out of every 100 Malays who gets fucked. And the Government bans the Chinese from lighting up. Whadafak?
The Non-Malays kena the most in this country. I ask you, how not to be racist? In Malaysia, the Government makes the people racist. It starts from anger. Anger of the unfairness. I'm not talking policies here, God forbid, Malaysians have been banned from talking about the policies. I'm talking about the simple things. Friday prayers they can park until middle of the road on a 3 land highway, nevermind. BUT if any other race did it (even for once a year), ewah ewah ewah, tak main lagi the police will summon and then say "You dont follow the law, we summon lah." Ma the Chow the Hais laaaaah.
Yesterday in Melawati, cars were parked everywhere till they even blocked entire roads. Did the cops do anything? NNNNNOOOOOO. Why? Coooz people need to buy food. The Wombat says: FUCK YOOOOUUUUU!!!
All I am asking for is some understanding. Dont block the fucking roads. Friday prayers, its a norm. But for the other races, we too have our own special prayer days. The least you can do is NOT summon and give the same leniency. Thats all, the same leniency. Let us park and clog up the roads. Let us carry our lanterns and set a few places on fire. Let us play with fireworks. Let us carry our huge assed Kawadi's. Let us burn those little flying things so our wishes come true, so what if it clogs up the engines of planes? So what? Once or twice a year only mah. We dont do it every week right?
Let us all live in peace and harmony. Understanding each race and the significance of parking in the middle of roads for prayers. Thats all I ask for.
http://wombaticon.blogspot.com/2006_09_01_archive.html
just thought about this issue over the weekend and came across they story yesterday and today read an article fm patrick teoh's blog on the same exact issue.. he said it brilliantly!... :) ...
Something always confuses me at this time of the year when Chinese New Year is around the corner. What is it? This thing about the fireworks ban is what. Each year during the Chinese New Year season there are always major stories in the mainstream media about the police arresting people caught selling banned fireworks. Firecrackers in particular. A few days ago the circus started with a full color story in The Star about police success in napping some fireworks merchants. Today in The Star (http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/2/12/nation/16854415&sec=nation) the Customs Department director-general announced that they will now fine, on-the-spot, people caught lighting up firecrackers for the coming Chinese New Year celebration. RM100 compound fine. No talk. He even said that if the offender is a child then the parents will be fined.
Wah! Very tough talk man. But seriously. Fireworks are banned and we as law abiding citizens should and must abide by the law. All of us.
Okay, what I am going to say next may make me sound like I am racist and trying to disrupt the racial harmony of Bolehland. I am not. I am merely trying to understand how things work here. I have a right to know. I am concerned.
I live in a predominantly Malay area. I daresay that more than 75% of the population of the area is Malay. Each year during the Hari Raya Aidil Fitri season I hear crackers and fireworks going off in the area making a din to rival American firepower in the Middle East. I live with it because it is a time of celebration for my Malay breathren. Although fireworks are banned. Hiyah. Close one ear lor. We are all Malaysians ma. So I presume that these same people are illegally selling fireworks during those time of celebration. Yes?
Then how come there doesn't seem to be the same efforts made to catch illegal fireworks traders during that particular time of year? Well, not with as big a deal as they always want to make it during Chinese New Year. If this action is to used as an example that people should not break the law then it should be used for all festive seasons when there might be fireworks involved during celebrations. We are all Malaysians. We are law abiding rakyat. We will all support the policing of the law. So don't single out one community as being fireworks crazy criminals can ah?
Maybe, the police think that Chinese Malaysians are more prone to want to make 'noise' during the celebrations than other people. Maybe the newspapers just think that these 'arrests' make good stories during Chinese New Year instead of at other festive occasions. I also don't know anymore la.
http://niamah.blogspot.com/
in a somehow related article which you can find it here did mentioned some sense..
Boy Gets Painful Firecracker Lesson (http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/9/27/nation/15551546&sec=nation)
Today's papers reported of boy's first adventure with carbide. The first of many to come Raya disasters. I dont understand it, how come so many Malays get parts of their bodies burned every Raya? Meriam Buluh, Meriam Tanah, Bom Semut, Bom Ular, Bom Kawan, Bom Bakar Rumah dan letupan-letupan yang sebodoh dengannya. Why why why? Dont they learn from the past? All the poor bastards that got burned, killed or maimed that came out in the papers should teach these other guys a lesson - Dont play with explosives if IQ is lower than thumbtack.
See the boy's picture (http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/9/27/nation/15551546&sec=nation)? Damn, that really cracked me up. I say serve the fucker right. It's because of fuckers like these that the Chinese (if you didnt know, have always used fireworks to usher in their Lunar New Year) can't celebrate with a bang. How many Chink's have had accidents? Maybe 1 Chink gets fucked out of every 100 Malays who gets fucked. And the Government bans the Chinese from lighting up. Whadafak?
The Non-Malays kena the most in this country. I ask you, how not to be racist? In Malaysia, the Government makes the people racist. It starts from anger. Anger of the unfairness. I'm not talking policies here, God forbid, Malaysians have been banned from talking about the policies. I'm talking about the simple things. Friday prayers they can park until middle of the road on a 3 land highway, nevermind. BUT if any other race did it (even for once a year), ewah ewah ewah, tak main lagi the police will summon and then say "You dont follow the law, we summon lah." Ma the Chow the Hais laaaaah.
Yesterday in Melawati, cars were parked everywhere till they even blocked entire roads. Did the cops do anything? NNNNNOOOOOO. Why? Coooz people need to buy food. The Wombat says: FUCK YOOOOUUUUU!!!
All I am asking for is some understanding. Dont block the fucking roads. Friday prayers, its a norm. But for the other races, we too have our own special prayer days. The least you can do is NOT summon and give the same leniency. Thats all, the same leniency. Let us park and clog up the roads. Let us carry our lanterns and set a few places on fire. Let us play with fireworks. Let us carry our huge assed Kawadi's. Let us burn those little flying things so our wishes come true, so what if it clogs up the engines of planes? So what? Once or twice a year only mah. We dont do it every week right?
Let us all live in peace and harmony. Understanding each race and the significance of parking in the middle of roads for prayers. Thats all I ask for.
http://wombaticon.blogspot.com/2006_09_01_archive.html
Monday, February 12, 2007
malaysia, i weep for thee... article fm uncle yap of berita malaysia fame...
why didn't they issue the non halal statements on turkeys last time?!?.. why only this year?!?...
when you open up the daily newspaper/s recently... one of the most frequent reported articles is about racial tolerance and calling all malaysians to bridge the divides... but things are happening otherwise, sorry to say this... all this little issues proves malaysia is not a secular country AT ALL... endless and countless of cakap tak serupa bikin cases...
turkey do somehow plays a significant role in christians events... christmas, thanksgiving, etc...
why can't they tolerate wat other religion practices?!?..
why can't they respect wat other religion practices?!?...
why can't they understand wat other religion practices?!?...
will they ban rearing pigs and the sales of pork soon?!?... looking and understanding on how things are working out to be.. i won't be surprise...
a pretty good article fm uncle yap which i got fm kit siang's blog... some of the response are extremely good to wonder on...
makes one wonder is this malaysia or malay-sir...
do read on...
p/s ; soon we will need to wish people "mari keris-must" instead of "merry christmas"...
"Malaysia, I weep for thee"
Time & Date: December 24, 2006 @ 10: 46.39
Categories: Religion General Nation-building
In a week's time, a new year – an important one, the 50th Merdeka Anniversary of Malaysia.
But in the past few months, there have been increasing signs of racial and religious polarisation unbelievable when the nation achieved Merdeka in 1957 and when Malaysia was formed in 1963.
Uncle Yap, of Berita Malaysia fame, has expressed his agony over the latest intolerance in our nation – over Christmas turkey's halal, haram and non-halal status .
Uncle Yap had ended with the cry from his heart: "Malaysia, I weep for thee".
I share Uncle Yap's agony. I had enjoyed Uncle Yap's Chap Goh Mei open house although in the past few years, I had not been able to avail myself of his hospitality.
His question, "When are we, ordinary Malaysian citizens, going to start getting worried that our society is getting more and more oppressive" must be the dominating thought for all Malaysians of reason and goodwill as the country sets for a new year.
This is what Uncle Yap wrote:
The way some non-Muslims like Uncle Yap sees the issue is not so much about choice of food but the thin end of the oppressive wedge that intrudes into the freedom and choice of non-Muslims.
There was a time when we, Malays and non-Malays, used to eat together at the same table and we would tell our Malay friends which dish had haram material. Our Malay friends would eat and partake of everything except the proscribed dishes.
Today, I no longer invite any of my many Malay friends to my house for meals. At my annual Chap Goh Meh open house, I used to have Malay friends tucking in with gusto everything (supplied by a halal caterer) except for the "siew chee" (roast pig) that I have at a corner (with its own styrofoam plates and disposable chopsticks)
But seeing the kind of ultra-religious movement going on in the country and not wishing to impose difficult choices on my Malay friends, I no longer invite them to my house for my CGM party. So much for muhibbah and inter-racial relationship.
The current move by the civil service started some weeks ago when we started hearing complaints from food importers that some civil servants are starting their own agenda of not permitting the entry into the country of non-halal meat and true enough, when Christmas beckoned, the supplier of my Christian friend's annual turkey could not promise my friend his annual bird, which, to him, is an important ingredient of his annual celebration linked to a religious event.
I alerted a few influential people like Blogger Jeff Ooi and Dato Wong Chun Wai, a top honcho in the MCA-controlled paper, The Star. Dato Wong was chosen because he is a staunch Christian who would understand the significance of the roast turkey to the Christians and whom I figured has the ears of the top echelon of decision-makers and would, in the normal course of things, warn his political masters that "something is rotten in the state of ….." (with apologies to Shakespeare)
Alas, the Malay civil servants had their way, unchecked and almost unnoticed. When pressed by harbour-masters with problems of ships lying expensively in port with unloaded consignment of frozen turkey, they took the initiative and labelled the meat "non-halal" ( a grey area between halal and haram) and now their fellow civil servants at Jakim has got into the act, warning all and sundry the perils of serving "non-halal" (read as HARAM) meat at their establishments. (and they have plenty of back-ups by way of health
inspections by MoH officials, licensing checks by the local authorities, etc etc). No hotels would dare incur the wrath of the Malay Civil Servant.
The religion-orientated agenda of the Malay civil servants and their obsequious (and I think, maybe blind and deaf like the three monkeys "hear no evil, see no evil") political 'masters' mean a slow but steady erosion of the rights and privileges of others who are not Muslims. Today, I cannot have a "bacon and egg English breakfast" at Shangri-la or the Concorde; tomorrow, I fear I cannot order a beer at these places (not that I can easily afford drinks at such outrageous prices in these establishments).
This country belongs to all of us, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Why, why, why must I (and millions like me) conform to all the religious requirements of the Muslims in more and more aspects of my life??? and I don't even believe that there is a God because my concept of a God is an omnipotent and omni-benevolent Being that would not support, condone nor nurture the oppression of others in the name of God.
When are we, ordinary Malaysian citizens, going to start getting worried that our society is getting more and more oppressive.
Malaysia, I weep for thee
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/?p=894
when you open up the daily newspaper/s recently... one of the most frequent reported articles is about racial tolerance and calling all malaysians to bridge the divides... but things are happening otherwise, sorry to say this... all this little issues proves malaysia is not a secular country AT ALL... endless and countless of cakap tak serupa bikin cases...
turkey do somehow plays a significant role in christians events... christmas, thanksgiving, etc...
why can't they tolerate wat other religion practices?!?..
why can't they respect wat other religion practices?!?...
why can't they understand wat other religion practices?!?...
will they ban rearing pigs and the sales of pork soon?!?... looking and understanding on how things are working out to be.. i won't be surprise...
a pretty good article fm uncle yap which i got fm kit siang's blog... some of the response are extremely good to wonder on...
makes one wonder is this malaysia or malay-sir...
do read on...
p/s ; soon we will need to wish people "mari keris-must" instead of "merry christmas"...
"Malaysia, I weep for thee"
Time & Date: December 24, 2006 @ 10: 46.39
Categories: Religion General Nation-building
In a week's time, a new year – an important one, the 50th Merdeka Anniversary of Malaysia.
But in the past few months, there have been increasing signs of racial and religious polarisation unbelievable when the nation achieved Merdeka in 1957 and when Malaysia was formed in 1963.
Uncle Yap, of Berita Malaysia fame, has expressed his agony over the latest intolerance in our nation – over Christmas turkey's halal, haram and non-halal status .
Uncle Yap had ended with the cry from his heart: "Malaysia, I weep for thee".
I share Uncle Yap's agony. I had enjoyed Uncle Yap's Chap Goh Mei open house although in the past few years, I had not been able to avail myself of his hospitality.
His question, "When are we, ordinary Malaysian citizens, going to start getting worried that our society is getting more and more oppressive" must be the dominating thought for all Malaysians of reason and goodwill as the country sets for a new year.
This is what Uncle Yap wrote:
The way some non-Muslims like Uncle Yap sees the issue is not so much about choice of food but the thin end of the oppressive wedge that intrudes into the freedom and choice of non-Muslims.
There was a time when we, Malays and non-Malays, used to eat together at the same table and we would tell our Malay friends which dish had haram material. Our Malay friends would eat and partake of everything except the proscribed dishes.
Today, I no longer invite any of my many Malay friends to my house for meals. At my annual Chap Goh Meh open house, I used to have Malay friends tucking in with gusto everything (supplied by a halal caterer) except for the "siew chee" (roast pig) that I have at a corner (with its own styrofoam plates and disposable chopsticks)
But seeing the kind of ultra-religious movement going on in the country and not wishing to impose difficult choices on my Malay friends, I no longer invite them to my house for my CGM party. So much for muhibbah and inter-racial relationship.
The current move by the civil service started some weeks ago when we started hearing complaints from food importers that some civil servants are starting their own agenda of not permitting the entry into the country of non-halal meat and true enough, when Christmas beckoned, the supplier of my Christian friend's annual turkey could not promise my friend his annual bird, which, to him, is an important ingredient of his annual celebration linked to a religious event.
I alerted a few influential people like Blogger Jeff Ooi and Dato Wong Chun Wai, a top honcho in the MCA-controlled paper, The Star. Dato Wong was chosen because he is a staunch Christian who would understand the significance of the roast turkey to the Christians and whom I figured has the ears of the top echelon of decision-makers and would, in the normal course of things, warn his political masters that "something is rotten in the state of ….." (with apologies to Shakespeare)
Alas, the Malay civil servants had their way, unchecked and almost unnoticed. When pressed by harbour-masters with problems of ships lying expensively in port with unloaded consignment of frozen turkey, they took the initiative and labelled the meat "non-halal" ( a grey area between halal and haram) and now their fellow civil servants at Jakim has got into the act, warning all and sundry the perils of serving "non-halal" (read as HARAM) meat at their establishments. (and they have plenty of back-ups by way of health
inspections by MoH officials, licensing checks by the local authorities, etc etc). No hotels would dare incur the wrath of the Malay Civil Servant.
The religion-orientated agenda of the Malay civil servants and their obsequious (and I think, maybe blind and deaf like the three monkeys "hear no evil, see no evil") political 'masters' mean a slow but steady erosion of the rights and privileges of others who are not Muslims. Today, I cannot have a "bacon and egg English breakfast" at Shangri-la or the Concorde; tomorrow, I fear I cannot order a beer at these places (not that I can easily afford drinks at such outrageous prices in these establishments).
This country belongs to all of us, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Why, why, why must I (and millions like me) conform to all the religious requirements of the Muslims in more and more aspects of my life??? and I don't even believe that there is a God because my concept of a God is an omnipotent and omni-benevolent Being that would not support, condone nor nurture the oppression of others in the name of God.
When are we, ordinary Malaysian citizens, going to start getting worried that our society is getting more and more oppressive.
Malaysia, I weep for thee
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/?p=894
'different identity'... apparently mistakes at birth... race/religion issue in mykad...
very clear cut case...
he had no choice, but to become a muslim as per stated in his mykad because of an apparently mix up baby case...
if this mix up proven to be true and under the federal constituition.. will he be denied his wish?!?...
wat will they government/state religious officials says about this?!?...
p/s ; when will they abolish this race/religion nonsense in the mykad and really moving towards the bangsa malaysia status...
Going his own way since he was 13
JOHOR BARU: At 13, he was supporting himself, washing dishes after school to pay for his books and rented room.
Zulhaidi Omar, 29, said he had never been tempted to take the easy way out by dropping out of school or straying into a life of crime. Instead, he worked at restaurants until midnight and washed cars to put himself through secondary school.
Now a sales executive with a diploma in Business Administration, Zulhaidi said he was neither abused nor disowned by his family but he wanted to be independent.
Unknown to him, he had been swapped at birth during a mix-up at the hospital in Batu Pahat.
“By the time I was in primary school, I knew I was different from the rest of my family members as I could tell the difference between their features and my obviously Chinese appearance,” he said at a press conference.
After a chance meeting that reunited him with his biological family eight years ago, Zulhaidi now wants to change his name to a Chinese one.
Zulhaidi is hoping the authorities would allow him to state his religion as Buddhism on his MyKad.
Bandar Baru Tampoi MCA branch chairman Michael Tay said Zulhaidi was never given the chance to choose his own religion because of a mistake made at birth.
“Under the Federal Constitution, everybody is allowed the freedom to choose his own religion, but Zulhaidi was never given that chance.
“We will try the diplomatic method first through negotiations with state officials and the hospital where he was born. If that fails, then we will have to seek legal recourse,” he said, adding that might even include a suit against the hospital for negligence.
State religious officials were unavailable for comment.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/2/5/nation/16784465&sec=nation
extra reading for this case can be found as per the link below...
http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/newsncom.php?itemid=2294
http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/newsncom.php?itemid=2299
http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/newsncom.php?itemid=2326
he had no choice, but to become a muslim as per stated in his mykad because of an apparently mix up baby case...
if this mix up proven to be true and under the federal constituition.. will he be denied his wish?!?...
wat will they government/state religious officials says about this?!?...
p/s ; when will they abolish this race/religion nonsense in the mykad and really moving towards the bangsa malaysia status...
Going his own way since he was 13
JOHOR BARU: At 13, he was supporting himself, washing dishes after school to pay for his books and rented room.
Zulhaidi Omar, 29, said he had never been tempted to take the easy way out by dropping out of school or straying into a life of crime. Instead, he worked at restaurants until midnight and washed cars to put himself through secondary school.
Now a sales executive with a diploma in Business Administration, Zulhaidi said he was neither abused nor disowned by his family but he wanted to be independent.
Unknown to him, he had been swapped at birth during a mix-up at the hospital in Batu Pahat.
“By the time I was in primary school, I knew I was different from the rest of my family members as I could tell the difference between their features and my obviously Chinese appearance,” he said at a press conference.
After a chance meeting that reunited him with his biological family eight years ago, Zulhaidi now wants to change his name to a Chinese one.
Zulhaidi is hoping the authorities would allow him to state his religion as Buddhism on his MyKad.
Bandar Baru Tampoi MCA branch chairman Michael Tay said Zulhaidi was never given the chance to choose his own religion because of a mistake made at birth.
“Under the Federal Constitution, everybody is allowed the freedom to choose his own religion, but Zulhaidi was never given that chance.
“We will try the diplomatic method first through negotiations with state officials and the hospital where he was born. If that fails, then we will have to seek legal recourse,” he said, adding that might even include a suit against the hospital for negligence.
State religious officials were unavailable for comment.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/2/5/nation/16784465&sec=nation
extra reading for this case can be found as per the link below...
http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/newsncom.php?itemid=2294
http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/newsncom.php?itemid=2299
http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/newsncom.php?itemid=2326
21 arrested including 4 injured... even before a peaceful toll protest can begin...
dun think you can ever find this news in a local newspaper....
one thing i really dun understand is... when kj.. the famous son-in-law of aab held a protest outside a building during a super duper important meeting whereby the father-in-law also participated in it together with condo rice, etc.. just because he wants to send a so called memorandum to rice... not only did he had a protest together with approx 2,000 people.. he burned flags, he broke the fru barriers or something along that line, etc... no action, no batons, no water canons, etc... dia tu kan anak-in-law aab kan...
but... when other people have peaceful protest, police again showed their.. perhaps permitted brutality by the higher authorities?!?... this reminds me of the bloody fuel hike protest in klcc not long ago... they did it again indeed...
i still have in suhakam.. hope they will seriously do something serious about it...
you can find pix and reading articles as per the links below...
http://www.malaysiakini.com/pages/albums/toll-hike-protest-3/
http://ronnieliutiankhiew.wordpress.com/2007/01/23/dap-to-file-complaints-to-suhakam-on-police-brutalities/
http://ronnieliutiankhiew.wordpress.com/2007/01/25/police-has-no-rights-to-beat-up-protestors/
p/s ; there's another similar 'outing' in ioi mall, puchong 2 sundays fm now at approx 1600 hours...do exercise yr rights as a citizen and let our voices be heard even louder...
the direct link to the video clip of the assault can be found here... clearly shows malaysian police is abusing their powers...
this arrest, whacking, etc.. will not happen if those victims present there are wearing bn, umno, mca, mic and gerakan t-shirt eh?!?... another type double standard pratice by the gomen people?!?.. i think so too!...
http://www.malaysiakini.tv/?p=171
p/s ; even animals treat their offsprings way better than police treating their own fellow rakyats who actually pay their salary!... pathetic bastards!...
p/s ; pls vote for a change!... pls dun let them con you and yr future any further...
one thing i really dun understand is... when kj.. the famous son-in-law of aab held a protest outside a building during a super duper important meeting whereby the father-in-law also participated in it together with condo rice, etc.. just because he wants to send a so called memorandum to rice... not only did he had a protest together with approx 2,000 people.. he burned flags, he broke the fru barriers or something along that line, etc... no action, no batons, no water canons, etc... dia tu kan anak-in-law aab kan...
but... when other people have peaceful protest, police again showed their.. perhaps permitted brutality by the higher authorities?!?... this reminds me of the bloody fuel hike protest in klcc not long ago... they did it again indeed...
i still have in suhakam.. hope they will seriously do something serious about it...
you can find pix and reading articles as per the links below...
http://www.malaysiakini.com/pages/albums/toll-hike-protest-3/
http://ronnieliutiankhiew.wordpress.com/2007/01/23/dap-to-file-complaints-to-suhakam-on-police-brutalities/
http://ronnieliutiankhiew.wordpress.com/2007/01/25/police-has-no-rights-to-beat-up-protestors/
p/s ; there's another similar 'outing' in ioi mall, puchong 2 sundays fm now at approx 1600 hours...do exercise yr rights as a citizen and let our voices be heard even louder...
the direct link to the video clip of the assault can be found here... clearly shows malaysian police is abusing their powers...
this arrest, whacking, etc.. will not happen if those victims present there are wearing bn, umno, mca, mic and gerakan t-shirt eh?!?... another type double standard pratice by the gomen people?!?.. i think so too!...
http://www.malaysiakini.tv/?p=171
p/s ; even animals treat their offsprings way better than police treating their own fellow rakyats who actually pay their salary!... pathetic bastards!...
p/s ; pls vote for a change!... pls dun let them con you and yr future any further...
my experience in selayang hospital and selayang police station on the eve of 2007...
my eyes were closing due to tiredness and sleepiness while watching sheffield united playing against arsenal in the last minute of the 2nd half injury time... approx 0400 hours then... when my trading biz partner called... "bro, my car nearly kena hijacked and managed to fought away 4 indians hijackers and going to the hospital now, blood flowing prefusely fm the head"... then the line went just went off... tried calling him, he answered and sounded extremely groggy... took the car keys and managed to reach selayang hospital in approx 20 mins fm old klang road...
shocked to see him in that kinda condition... beige pants turn red and maroon shirt dotted with blood...
waited for approx 10 mins he then went into the procedure room 2... attended by one so called 'jururawat lelaki TERLATIH' which is so kurang ajar and biadap and felt like telling him off, just because my fren is in his 'good' hands we decided to keep quiet!... saw there are 3-4 doctors on call that nite, their names were written on the emergency room doctors-on-call notice board but dun think anyone of them were in the hospital...
i then found out the whole story fm his dad and another fren of ours...
this happened on the way back fm a mamak session with that fren of ours... while approaching near his house, somewhere along gombak highway... a silver proton waja gave him a sligh knock on his toyota vios bumper... both the cars stopped, he went down to have a look at his car, nutin wrong except a slight dent to the bumper... right after that, he realised 4 indians guys approach him, he sensed something really wong and walk back to his car as fast as he could... too late, just about he wanna get into his car... the driver of the other car took out a gun (fake or not, dunno) and pointed at his stomach... and said something like... "kasi itu kereta, lu mau mati kah?!?".. and the 2nd guy pointed a rambo knife on his chest/stomach... the next thing he know out of his anger and self-defense... he fought back... the 3rd guy open an approx 5 cm gap on his head with a parang... at the same time he then wrestle the knife fm the 2nd guy and threw back the knife at the 1st guy which is holding the gun... this wrestling of rambo knife nearly cost him his left thumb... the skin of his left thumb all gone... all this happened along the gombak highway and vehicles passing by honking at them... out of panic the 4 of them got back into their car and left the place....
ok now back to the topic...
waited for approx 1 hour... he came out of the procedure room 2 with his head and fingers bandaged and headed towards the pondok polis selayang hospital... this is when i found out some shocking details which the press do not dare to report or rather they are warn not to report..
- the crime rates in selangor equals johor + kuala lumpur!...
- the crime rates in selayang, puchong and gombak tops the list in selangor!...
- according to the policeman who took the report... he mentioned that in 5 years time the crime rates in malaysia will be far worse than a lot of counries!...
- he mentioned that even he himself are afraid of going out!...
- according to him most of them are committed by indians... esp... sudah minum...
i seriously wonder wat will musa hassan who promise us, the rakyats heaven and paradise gonna do about this...
right after that, we were refered to selayang police station (approx 5 mins drive fm selayang hospital) and look for on inspector who is following up on another case happened at approx 2300 hours, the day before the eve... same kinda stuffs... 4 indians hijacking, one gun were also reported...
as soon as we got into the police station which is approx 0600 hours then... all we can smell is smoke fm ciggaretes although there are numerous of signages saying no smoking... wtf?!?... we then ask for that particular inspector... those police over the counter pointed to a guy who is sleeping at the public couch and said... "itu lah dia.. takpa, boleh kejutkan dia"... my fren then went like... "inspector/tuan"... for 3-4 times... before he answer... "apaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa... tunggu kejap lah"... with a long stretch he woke up and started 'interegating' my fren who is a victim with stupid questions!.... i mean wtf?!?... who so rude?!?... dun forget the rakyats pay yr freaking salary and pls have some good manners which yr parents taught you!...
we followed him to his room.. on the way there, he said something along the way like... "korang tunggu dulu... kunci aku hilang, aku nak cari.. arghhhh!... babilah".... at that particular few minutes.. managed to see at least 2-3 policemen sleeping along the corridors, near their respective places, etc... docs were all over... reports were all over... cabinets were in bad condition.. ciggaretes butts were thrown all over... desperate for a camera then!...
as soon as he came back locating his keys, he 'interegated' my fren again with silly questions!.... after aprox 20 mins of 'interegation' my fren and 3 other police officers then went to locate the owner of the number plate reported... turned out to be a fake one...
this time approx 0800 hours already and am dozing off...
as soon as they came back... i told my fren's father and that fren of ours while walking up the stairs.. that the inspector will say something like... "ok, there's nothing much we can do, we will call you if there's any new updates re yr case"... true enough!... after he took the statement he said almost the exact same thing i mentioned!... how accurate!.. how predictable!... owhh yes, there's another policeman present there then who was in his sarong and his underwear and pants were on his table and did his changing in front of the public!...
one more thing the inspector managed to shocked me was... his racist statement that go something like this... "now, you know lah.. indians memang cari pasal punya.. lagipun lepas yam seng... memang anti-india, kita memang nak settle kes-kes macam nie secepat mungkin"...
honestly, wat if we are foreingers and posed with this kinda situation... SHAMEFUL!...
- for a civil servant to be openly racist is something serious to be looked at!....
- for a civil servant who thinks they can 'interegate' their victims ought to be ineregated!...
- for a civil servant who is so biadap and kurang ajar should be taught moral lessons instead of catching criminals!...
- chau soi lek and musa hassan must attend to this kinda problem immediately!...
also...
this is slightly out of topic..
just in case one dunno how the parking lot in selayang police station look like...
http://ronnieliutiankhiew.wordpress.com/2007/01/13/patrol-cars-collecting-dust-at-the-selayang-police-station
saw the exact same thing when i went there the other day...
not enough police?!?.. then why buy so many cars?!?..
millions of tax payers hard earned money went and still will be going to waste...
p/s ; mesra, cepat dan betul?!?... yeah rite!...
shocked to see him in that kinda condition... beige pants turn red and maroon shirt dotted with blood...
waited for approx 10 mins he then went into the procedure room 2... attended by one so called 'jururawat lelaki TERLATIH' which is so kurang ajar and biadap and felt like telling him off, just because my fren is in his 'good' hands we decided to keep quiet!... saw there are 3-4 doctors on call that nite, their names were written on the emergency room doctors-on-call notice board but dun think anyone of them were in the hospital...
i then found out the whole story fm his dad and another fren of ours...
this happened on the way back fm a mamak session with that fren of ours... while approaching near his house, somewhere along gombak highway... a silver proton waja gave him a sligh knock on his toyota vios bumper... both the cars stopped, he went down to have a look at his car, nutin wrong except a slight dent to the bumper... right after that, he realised 4 indians guys approach him, he sensed something really wong and walk back to his car as fast as he could... too late, just about he wanna get into his car... the driver of the other car took out a gun (fake or not, dunno) and pointed at his stomach... and said something like... "kasi itu kereta, lu mau mati kah?!?".. and the 2nd guy pointed a rambo knife on his chest/stomach... the next thing he know out of his anger and self-defense... he fought back... the 3rd guy open an approx 5 cm gap on his head with a parang... at the same time he then wrestle the knife fm the 2nd guy and threw back the knife at the 1st guy which is holding the gun... this wrestling of rambo knife nearly cost him his left thumb... the skin of his left thumb all gone... all this happened along the gombak highway and vehicles passing by honking at them... out of panic the 4 of them got back into their car and left the place....
ok now back to the topic...
waited for approx 1 hour... he came out of the procedure room 2 with his head and fingers bandaged and headed towards the pondok polis selayang hospital... this is when i found out some shocking details which the press do not dare to report or rather they are warn not to report..
- the crime rates in selangor equals johor + kuala lumpur!...
- the crime rates in selayang, puchong and gombak tops the list in selangor!...
- according to the policeman who took the report... he mentioned that in 5 years time the crime rates in malaysia will be far worse than a lot of counries!...
- he mentioned that even he himself are afraid of going out!...
- according to him most of them are committed by indians... esp... sudah minum...
i seriously wonder wat will musa hassan who promise us, the rakyats heaven and paradise gonna do about this...
right after that, we were refered to selayang police station (approx 5 mins drive fm selayang hospital) and look for on inspector who is following up on another case happened at approx 2300 hours, the day before the eve... same kinda stuffs... 4 indians hijacking, one gun were also reported...
as soon as we got into the police station which is approx 0600 hours then... all we can smell is smoke fm ciggaretes although there are numerous of signages saying no smoking... wtf?!?... we then ask for that particular inspector... those police over the counter pointed to a guy who is sleeping at the public couch and said... "itu lah dia.. takpa, boleh kejutkan dia"... my fren then went like... "inspector/tuan"... for 3-4 times... before he answer... "apaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa... tunggu kejap lah"... with a long stretch he woke up and started 'interegating' my fren who is a victim with stupid questions!.... i mean wtf?!?... who so rude?!?... dun forget the rakyats pay yr freaking salary and pls have some good manners which yr parents taught you!...
we followed him to his room.. on the way there, he said something along the way like... "korang tunggu dulu... kunci aku hilang, aku nak cari.. arghhhh!... babilah".... at that particular few minutes.. managed to see at least 2-3 policemen sleeping along the corridors, near their respective places, etc... docs were all over... reports were all over... cabinets were in bad condition.. ciggaretes butts were thrown all over... desperate for a camera then!...
as soon as he came back locating his keys, he 'interegated' my fren again with silly questions!.... after aprox 20 mins of 'interegation' my fren and 3 other police officers then went to locate the owner of the number plate reported... turned out to be a fake one...
this time approx 0800 hours already and am dozing off...
as soon as they came back... i told my fren's father and that fren of ours while walking up the stairs.. that the inspector will say something like... "ok, there's nothing much we can do, we will call you if there's any new updates re yr case"... true enough!... after he took the statement he said almost the exact same thing i mentioned!... how accurate!.. how predictable!... owhh yes, there's another policeman present there then who was in his sarong and his underwear and pants were on his table and did his changing in front of the public!...
one more thing the inspector managed to shocked me was... his racist statement that go something like this... "now, you know lah.. indians memang cari pasal punya.. lagipun lepas yam seng... memang anti-india, kita memang nak settle kes-kes macam nie secepat mungkin"...
honestly, wat if we are foreingers and posed with this kinda situation... SHAMEFUL!...
- for a civil servant to be openly racist is something serious to be looked at!....
- for a civil servant who thinks they can 'interegate' their victims ought to be ineregated!...
- for a civil servant who is so biadap and kurang ajar should be taught moral lessons instead of catching criminals!...
- chau soi lek and musa hassan must attend to this kinda problem immediately!...
also...
this is slightly out of topic..
just in case one dunno how the parking lot in selayang police station look like...
http://ronnieliutiankhiew.wordpress.com/2007/01/13/patrol-cars-collecting-dust-at-the-selayang-police-station
saw the exact same thing when i went there the other day...
not enough police?!?.. then why buy so many cars?!?..
millions of tax payers hard earned money went and still will be going to waste...
p/s ; mesra, cepat dan betul?!?... yeah rite!...
simple maths on reduce of road tax and increase of toll...
fwded email...
let's take this a little far and slightly out of topic.. are the buying power in malaysia very strong as to compare to our neighbouring countries?!?...
Road Tax Reduce & Toll Rise in Malaysia.
Road Tax Reduce
Some Malaysian is very happy with the Road Tax Reduce…
Let we; have a look at the simple calculation below…
E.g. Road Tax Reduce = RM50 for 1 year
For per day = RM50/365
= RM0.1370/day (WAU!!!!!! What a big saving for Malaysian)
Syabas !!! To our Government!!!
Toll Rise
Imagine a person is using Kesas Highway from Klang To K.L. (To & From)
(That’s mean - using a full package on this Highway)
Past Toll Rate = RM1.50 per toll x 6 tolls = RM9.00 per day
Present Toll Rate = RM2.20 per toll x 6 tolls = RM13.20 per day
Different = RM0.70 per toll
For 1 day = RM0.70 x 6 tolls (To & From)
= RM4.20 / day
Normal Working Days for Normal Person = 240days / year
For One Year = 240days x RM4.20
= RM1008.00 (Different - Old & Present)
If in full Calculation = RM13.20/day x 240 days
= RM3,168 per year
But Some Crazy Guyz Work for 365 days / year
For One Year = 365days x RM4.20
= RM1533.00 (Different - Old & Present)
If in full Calculation = RM13.20/day x 365 days
= RM4,818 per year
For others toll ; you can calculate on your own... using the same method
If Average Malaysian Salary is RM2000.00/mth. (For easy calculation purpose)
That’s means he/she will be spending his/her 2 months salary / year just to pay on his toll.
Syabas !!! To all Malaysian…. For Being Deaf & Dumb….
let's take this a little far and slightly out of topic.. are the buying power in malaysia very strong as to compare to our neighbouring countries?!?...
Road Tax Reduce & Toll Rise in Malaysia.
Road Tax Reduce
Some Malaysian is very happy with the Road Tax Reduce…
Let we; have a look at the simple calculation below…
E.g. Road Tax Reduce = RM50 for 1 year
For per day = RM50/365
= RM0.1370/day (WAU!!!!!! What a big saving for Malaysian)
Syabas !!! To our Government!!!
Toll Rise
Imagine a person is using Kesas Highway from Klang To K.L. (To & From)
(That’s mean - using a full package on this Highway)
Past Toll Rate = RM1.50 per toll x 6 tolls = RM9.00 per day
Present Toll Rate = RM2.20 per toll x 6 tolls = RM13.20 per day
Different = RM0.70 per toll
For 1 day = RM0.70 x 6 tolls (To & From)
= RM4.20 / day
Normal Working Days for Normal Person = 240days / year
For One Year = 240days x RM4.20
= RM1008.00 (Different - Old & Present)
If in full Calculation = RM13.20/day x 240 days
= RM3,168 per year
But Some Crazy Guyz Work for 365 days / year
For One Year = 365days x RM4.20
= RM1533.00 (Different - Old & Present)
If in full Calculation = RM13.20/day x 365 days
= RM4,818 per year
For others toll ; you can calculate on your own... using the same method
If Average Malaysian Salary is RM2000.00/mth. (For easy calculation purpose)
That’s means he/she will be spending his/her 2 months salary / year just to pay on his toll.
Syabas !!! To all Malaysian…. For Being Deaf & Dumb….
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
would you surrender yr malaysian citizenship?!?...
quite 'sad' to read this particular sentence...
as reported... "He said a check with the National Registration Department showed that 8,000 voters had surrendered their citizenship since Sept 30."....
if the sept he said is in 2006.. then 8,000 surrendered their citizenship in just 2 freaking months +- is something really bothering...
am sure there are loads more migrated and couldn't bother to give up their citizenship and all...
why do people give up their citizenship despite malaysia is a very nice (minus the political issues) place to live in?!?...
is it because of the political issues?!?...
is it because of the racism issues?!?...
is it because of the religion issues?!?...
is it because of the marginalisation issues?!?...
is it because people are just so fed-up with this country they belong to?!?...
is it a way to protest against the government, a silent protest?!?...
or wat?!?...
p/s ; think there will be loads more leaving the country if they, the govt continue to be one sided... continue practising nepotism, cronyism and corruption... this 3 issues is just a simple example of many more examples...
PUTRAJAYA: The Election Commission is open to suggestions from groups that are unhappy with the way elections are being conducted.
Commission chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said that if Opposition parties had a problem with the matter, they could discuss it.
However, he said, any change to the procedures of election would have to get the green light from the Cabinet followed by amendments to certain laws via Parliament.
“Any change means changes to the law. We (EC) are not in control of the law so it will be done in Parliament after the Executive agrees. It is not so easy,” he told reporters here yesterday after exchanging letters with Indonesia’s deputy chairman for Electoral Management Body.
Abdul Rashid was commenting on the statement by Bersih, a coalition of 25 non-governmental organisations, asking the EC to introduce the use of indelible ink to prevent multiple voting.
He, however, did not agree that the indelible ink was an improvement, describing the method as archaic.
Abdul Rashid said the electoral roll, estimated at 10.3 million during the 2004 general election, was currently standing at about 10.1 million – a reduction of 192,000 voters.
“This reduction is due to the Election Commission removing 184,000 names of voters who are dead, and names of those who are no longer Malaysians.”
He said a check with the National Registration Department showed that 8,000 voters had surrendered their citizenship since Sept 30.
“This reduction in the electoral roll was greater than increase in new voters,” he said.
On the proposal to the Government to amend election laws to allow automatic change of addresses of voters by the EC, Abdul Rashid said it was still being considered by the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/12/8/nation/16247866&sec=nation
as reported... "He said a check with the National Registration Department showed that 8,000 voters had surrendered their citizenship since Sept 30."....
if the sept he said is in 2006.. then 8,000 surrendered their citizenship in just 2 freaking months +- is something really bothering...
am sure there are loads more migrated and couldn't bother to give up their citizenship and all...
why do people give up their citizenship despite malaysia is a very nice (minus the political issues) place to live in?!?...
is it because of the political issues?!?...
is it because of the racism issues?!?...
is it because of the religion issues?!?...
is it because of the marginalisation issues?!?...
is it because people are just so fed-up with this country they belong to?!?...
is it a way to protest against the government, a silent protest?!?...
or wat?!?...
p/s ; think there will be loads more leaving the country if they, the govt continue to be one sided... continue practising nepotism, cronyism and corruption... this 3 issues is just a simple example of many more examples...
PUTRAJAYA: The Election Commission is open to suggestions from groups that are unhappy with the way elections are being conducted.
Commission chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said that if Opposition parties had a problem with the matter, they could discuss it.
However, he said, any change to the procedures of election would have to get the green light from the Cabinet followed by amendments to certain laws via Parliament.
“Any change means changes to the law. We (EC) are not in control of the law so it will be done in Parliament after the Executive agrees. It is not so easy,” he told reporters here yesterday after exchanging letters with Indonesia’s deputy chairman for Electoral Management Body.
Abdul Rashid was commenting on the statement by Bersih, a coalition of 25 non-governmental organisations, asking the EC to introduce the use of indelible ink to prevent multiple voting.
He, however, did not agree that the indelible ink was an improvement, describing the method as archaic.
Abdul Rashid said the electoral roll, estimated at 10.3 million during the 2004 general election, was currently standing at about 10.1 million – a reduction of 192,000 voters.
“This reduction is due to the Election Commission removing 184,000 names of voters who are dead, and names of those who are no longer Malaysians.”
He said a check with the National Registration Department showed that 8,000 voters had surrendered their citizenship since Sept 30.
“This reduction in the electoral roll was greater than increase in new voters,” he said.
On the proposal to the Government to amend election laws to allow automatic change of addresses of voters by the EC, Abdul Rashid said it was still being considered by the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/12/8/nation/16247866&sec=nation
another good article fm michael backman....
interesting read.. very diplomatic yet sacarstic...
amazing woman where no one can come close 'fighting' with her... mm used to be her Godpa or some kinda relationship along that line... hugging here and there.. crying here and there... but, see how she bite mm few months ago.. true seasonal politician with amazing drama skills!..
one can wonder how long more this highly corrupted-but-know-how-to-get-her-way-out-eventho-she-is-guilty iron lady gonna be around... everyone thought during the last cabinet re-shuffle, she will be out by then... but... surprise... surprise... she is still wanted!..
sometimes it makes me wonder...
tons of people out there giving brutal, embarassing, funny, negative, etc remarks, which is also the truth at times, about malaysia and all... and the govt in malaysia seems to be 'ok' with it...
but...
when lky said a simple sentence about marginalisation of the non-malays.. the whole country is in hoo-hahs.. fm top to bottom demanding for apology, chaos and all..
just imagine this michael backman article is written by lky... am kinda sure jurong would be gone by now...
Malaysia bites back and industriously trades the insults
by Michael Backman
The Age
November 29, 2006
MY LAST column on wasteful government spending in Malaysia (Business, 15/11) generated a furore. I received more than 600 emails from readers, mostly Malaysians (both expatriate and in Malaysia) and nearly all supportive.
The column was the most emailed item on The Age's website for six days straight and it was replicated in dozens of blogs worldwide.
My personal website received more than 50,000 hits. A Malaysian Government minister criticised the column publicly. And the Malaysian Opposition Leader issued a news release in its support.
The minister, Rafidah Aziz, Malaysia's Minister for Trade and Industry, declared somewhat imperiously that she didn't care what I said because I am a foreigner and I probably don't know much about Malaysia anyway.
Rafidah knows her trade brief like few others. Her knowledge of the complex rules of the international trading system, with its many trade barriers, is remarkable. In meetings with other trade ministers, she rarely needs assistance from minders. Hard working and tenacious, I once thought she might make a reasonable prime minister.
But her technical abilities are marred by her mishandling of other issues, most recently her ministry's allocation of much coveted car import permits. Most went to a handful of well-connected businessmen, including her own relatives.
The issue exploded in Malaysia late last year and she was lucky to keep her job.
And then there are the corruption allegations. In 1995, in a report to the attorney-general, the public prosecutor said there was a prima facie basis for Rafidah's arrest and prosecution on five counts of corruption.
An opposition activist later acquired official documents that appeared to confirm this. He was jailed for two years under the Official Secrets Act simply for possessing them. Rafidah, on the other hand, was not even charged.
Rafidah added to her remarks about my column that no Malaysian should say such things. It's little wonder that she doesn't welcome scrutiny from her own people. But then the idea that Malaysians cannot comment publicly about how their country is run but a non-Malaysian can, is disgraceful.
Perhaps Rafidah needs to be reminded who pays her salary.
And as if to underscore my points about waste, on the day that my column was published, an assistant minister told the Malaysian Parliament that Malaysia's first astronaut to be sent into space next year aboard a Russian space mission will be tasked to play batu seremban, a traditional Malay children's game played with pebbles, will do some batik painting and will make teh tarik, a type of Malaysian milky tea, all to see how these things can be done without gravity.
The day before, the Government announced that a new RM400 million ($A142 million) palace will be built for Malaysia's king, a position that is almost entirely ceremonial.
And the week before a groundbreaking ceremony was held for a second bridge between Penang and the Malaysian peninsular costing RM3 billion, a bridge that many consider unnecessary.
Where would the money be better spent?
Education is the obvious answer. But not on school buildings, for it matters less in what children are educated than how. And how children are educated in Malaysia is a national disaster.
Learning is largely by rote. In an email to me last week, one Malaysian recalled her schooling as being in a system “all about spoon-feeding, memory work and regurgitation. Students are not encouraged to think for themselves and they become adults who swallow everything they're told.”
Even the existing system fails many. It has just emerged that in Sabah state, only 46 per cent of the students who had sat the UPSR — the exam that students sit before going to secondary school — had passed. One small school actually had a 100 per cent failure rate.
But does the Malaysian Government want creative, critical thinkers? Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi said to the ruling party's recent general assembly Malaysia needed to make students creative. But that means they must be questioning and thus critical; what hope is there of that when one of Abdullah's own ministers tells Malaysians that they cannot say the things that I can and hundreds of them write to me to complain because they don't feel that they can complain to their own Government?
Malaysia needs to do something. Its oil will run out soon and it has lost much of its appeal to foreign investors — recent UN figures show that from 2004 to 2005, foreign investment in Malaysia fell by 14 per cent, when the world economy was enjoying one of its longest periods of growth. One might wonder what the Trade and Industry Minister has actually been doing.
But, while politicians from the ruling party preach about Malay nationalism, there are at least some who quietly go about the business of trying to secure the country's future. Not all of them are Chinese.
Two weeks ago, Malaysia's MMC Corporation, together with a local partner, won a $US30 billion infrastructure deal in Saudi Arabia. That's a huge undertaking for any company, let alone a Malaysian one, and just as well too — someone has to pay the bills.
ends
http://www.michaelbackman.com/LatestAgeColumn.html
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/?p=846
amazing woman where no one can come close 'fighting' with her... mm used to be her Godpa or some kinda relationship along that line... hugging here and there.. crying here and there... but, see how she bite mm few months ago.. true seasonal politician with amazing drama skills!..
one can wonder how long more this highly corrupted-but-know-how-to-get-her-way-out-eventho-she-is-guilty iron lady gonna be around... everyone thought during the last cabinet re-shuffle, she will be out by then... but... surprise... surprise... she is still wanted!..
sometimes it makes me wonder...
tons of people out there giving brutal, embarassing, funny, negative, etc remarks, which is also the truth at times, about malaysia and all... and the govt in malaysia seems to be 'ok' with it...
but...
when lky said a simple sentence about marginalisation of the non-malays.. the whole country is in hoo-hahs.. fm top to bottom demanding for apology, chaos and all..
just imagine this michael backman article is written by lky... am kinda sure jurong would be gone by now...
Malaysia bites back and industriously trades the insults
by Michael Backman
The Age
November 29, 2006
MY LAST column on wasteful government spending in Malaysia (Business, 15/11) generated a furore. I received more than 600 emails from readers, mostly Malaysians (both expatriate and in Malaysia) and nearly all supportive.
The column was the most emailed item on The Age's website for six days straight and it was replicated in dozens of blogs worldwide.
My personal website received more than 50,000 hits. A Malaysian Government minister criticised the column publicly. And the Malaysian Opposition Leader issued a news release in its support.
The minister, Rafidah Aziz, Malaysia's Minister for Trade and Industry, declared somewhat imperiously that she didn't care what I said because I am a foreigner and I probably don't know much about Malaysia anyway.
Rafidah knows her trade brief like few others. Her knowledge of the complex rules of the international trading system, with its many trade barriers, is remarkable. In meetings with other trade ministers, she rarely needs assistance from minders. Hard working and tenacious, I once thought she might make a reasonable prime minister.
But her technical abilities are marred by her mishandling of other issues, most recently her ministry's allocation of much coveted car import permits. Most went to a handful of well-connected businessmen, including her own relatives.
The issue exploded in Malaysia late last year and she was lucky to keep her job.
And then there are the corruption allegations. In 1995, in a report to the attorney-general, the public prosecutor said there was a prima facie basis for Rafidah's arrest and prosecution on five counts of corruption.
An opposition activist later acquired official documents that appeared to confirm this. He was jailed for two years under the Official Secrets Act simply for possessing them. Rafidah, on the other hand, was not even charged.
Rafidah added to her remarks about my column that no Malaysian should say such things. It's little wonder that she doesn't welcome scrutiny from her own people. But then the idea that Malaysians cannot comment publicly about how their country is run but a non-Malaysian can, is disgraceful.
Perhaps Rafidah needs to be reminded who pays her salary.
And as if to underscore my points about waste, on the day that my column was published, an assistant minister told the Malaysian Parliament that Malaysia's first astronaut to be sent into space next year aboard a Russian space mission will be tasked to play batu seremban, a traditional Malay children's game played with pebbles, will do some batik painting and will make teh tarik, a type of Malaysian milky tea, all to see how these things can be done without gravity.
The day before, the Government announced that a new RM400 million ($A142 million) palace will be built for Malaysia's king, a position that is almost entirely ceremonial.
And the week before a groundbreaking ceremony was held for a second bridge between Penang and the Malaysian peninsular costing RM3 billion, a bridge that many consider unnecessary.
Where would the money be better spent?
Education is the obvious answer. But not on school buildings, for it matters less in what children are educated than how. And how children are educated in Malaysia is a national disaster.
Learning is largely by rote. In an email to me last week, one Malaysian recalled her schooling as being in a system “all about spoon-feeding, memory work and regurgitation. Students are not encouraged to think for themselves and they become adults who swallow everything they're told.”
Even the existing system fails many. It has just emerged that in Sabah state, only 46 per cent of the students who had sat the UPSR — the exam that students sit before going to secondary school — had passed. One small school actually had a 100 per cent failure rate.
But does the Malaysian Government want creative, critical thinkers? Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi said to the ruling party's recent general assembly Malaysia needed to make students creative. But that means they must be questioning and thus critical; what hope is there of that when one of Abdullah's own ministers tells Malaysians that they cannot say the things that I can and hundreds of them write to me to complain because they don't feel that they can complain to their own Government?
Malaysia needs to do something. Its oil will run out soon and it has lost much of its appeal to foreign investors — recent UN figures show that from 2004 to 2005, foreign investment in Malaysia fell by 14 per cent, when the world economy was enjoying one of its longest periods of growth. One might wonder what the Trade and Industry Minister has actually been doing.
But, while politicians from the ruling party preach about Malay nationalism, there are at least some who quietly go about the business of trying to secure the country's future. Not all of them are Chinese.
Two weeks ago, Malaysia's MMC Corporation, together with a local partner, won a $US30 billion infrastructure deal in Saudi Arabia. That's a huge undertaking for any company, let alone a Malaysian one, and just as well too — someone has to pay the bills.
ends
http://www.michaelbackman.com/LatestAgeColumn.html
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/?p=846
break-ins into vip's house/s and/or their maid/s run away with the valuables... another conspiracy theory?!?...
did you realise that there's no exact amount given to the reporters, police stations, etc?!?...
why?!?...
wat are they hiding?!?...
why are they hiding?!?...
p/s ; think read somewhere... nazri lost approx rm 350,000.00 valuables recently... guess that particular amount is just for 'show'... think it's just an 'under declared' amount... also, for a 'normal minister' like him to keep such large amount of valuables in the house is something to ponder on... hiding away fm being questions by aca?!?... i think so too!...
why?!?...
wat are they hiding?!?...
why are they hiding?!?...
p/s ; think read somewhere... nazri lost approx rm 350,000.00 valuables recently... guess that particular amount is just for 'show'... think it's just an 'under declared' amount... also, for a 'normal minister' like him to keep such large amount of valuables in the house is something to ponder on... hiding away fm being questions by aca?!?... i think so too!...
public (women) should be blamed for snatch theft?!?... shameful statement!...
wat do you think about this brainless statement?!?... owhh wait... this statement came fm the deputy internal security minister!... you feel safe now?!?...
this is another brilliant statment which is able to confirmed wat mm said about the current cabinet/people under aab... half past six!.. indeed!...
he is holding such a high position and i honestly can't believe johari uttered such things.... certainly shameful for him to be bias so openly and this kinda statement do promote gender discrimination!...
p/s ; umphhh.. no!...
Public blamed for snatch thefts
THE public is partly to be blamed for snatch thefts, said Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Mohd Johari Baharum.
He said snatch thefts usually occurred when the victims were careless with their property.
“Such an attitude gives snatch thieves the opportunity to strike,” he said when replying to a question from Senator Siw Chun Eam.
Earlier, while replying to a question from Senator Datuk Rizuan Abd Hamid on snatch thefts, Mohamad Johari also placed the blame on women.
“Sometimes, women like to carry expensive handbags and wear clothes that invite trouble,” he said.
Meanwhile, Finance Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Dr Hilmi Yahya told the Dewan Negara that the Government had spent RM8bil on oil subsidies this year.
He said that although oil prices had dropped to US$60 (RM213) per barrel, the Government still spent a lot to subsidise petroleum-based products.
“Besides that, the Government also has to give RM8bil in tax exemption, which made the total oil subsidies RM16bil this year,” he said.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/12/22/nation/16392067&sec=nation
http://jinkeanlim.blogspot.com/2006/12/public-should-be-blamed-for-snatch.html
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/?p=893#more-893
this is another brilliant statment which is able to confirmed wat mm said about the current cabinet/people under aab... half past six!.. indeed!...
he is holding such a high position and i honestly can't believe johari uttered such things.... certainly shameful for him to be bias so openly and this kinda statement do promote gender discrimination!...
p/s ; umphhh.. no!...
Public blamed for snatch thefts
THE public is partly to be blamed for snatch thefts, said Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Mohd Johari Baharum.
He said snatch thefts usually occurred when the victims were careless with their property.
“Such an attitude gives snatch thieves the opportunity to strike,” he said when replying to a question from Senator Siw Chun Eam.
Earlier, while replying to a question from Senator Datuk Rizuan Abd Hamid on snatch thefts, Mohamad Johari also placed the blame on women.
“Sometimes, women like to carry expensive handbags and wear clothes that invite trouble,” he said.
Meanwhile, Finance Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Dr Hilmi Yahya told the Dewan Negara that the Government had spent RM8bil on oil subsidies this year.
He said that although oil prices had dropped to US$60 (RM213) per barrel, the Government still spent a lot to subsidise petroleum-based products.
“Besides that, the Government also has to give RM8bil in tax exemption, which made the total oil subsidies RM16bil this year,” he said.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/12/22/nation/16392067&sec=nation
http://jinkeanlim.blogspot.com/2006/12/public-should-be-blamed-for-snatch.html
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/?p=893#more-893
nice quote!...
"it's better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission"...
p/s ; zakaria did exactly that o building his mansion! :) ...
p/s ; zakaria did exactly that o building his mansion! :) ...
postal votes and spoiled votes... wat do you think?!?...
anyone out there vote via postage before?!?...
do you personally believe in postal votes?!?...
there are sayings postal votes are votes to make up the numbers when the numbers, esp when bn is losing by a slight majority... true?!?...
there are also sayings that postal votes are the 'best votes' if one were to 'dispose and spoil' them... true?!?...
am quite surprise with the amount of spoil votes in certain seats.... how can one actually spoil his/her vote?!?.. just a simple 'x' in the column provided and that's it... think, even a 90 years old man/woman on a wheelchair can do it... so where do we get so many spoiled votes?!?... this question still remains a mystery until today...
hmmmmmmm...
do you personally believe in postal votes?!?...
there are sayings postal votes are votes to make up the numbers when the numbers, esp when bn is losing by a slight majority... true?!?...
there are also sayings that postal votes are the 'best votes' if one were to 'dispose and spoil' them... true?!?...
am quite surprise with the amount of spoil votes in certain seats.... how can one actually spoil his/her vote?!?.. just a simple 'x' in the column provided and that's it... think, even a 90 years old man/woman on a wheelchair can do it... so where do we get so many spoiled votes?!?... this question still remains a mystery until today...
hmmmmmmm...
malaysian government to the extent of getting students involved in politics even in... overseas?!?..
am not discounting the below email a 'hoax'... BUT... there won't be any smoke if there's no fire...
am quite surprise with the response... the link to this article and the response fm the public can be found below this msg...
think i read somewhere in the response column that umno actually paid an all expense trip for a student to come back for their last meeting and then fly back!...
all this is because they wanna gather more support which they know they are lacking recently?!?...
using tax payers money for their personal gain?!?...
using tax payers money for the interest of their own party?!?...
p/s ; if this is to be proven true.. then, umno fellas who 'approved' this kinda stuffs better watch their back.. but then again, umno = bn = aab = government = country = malaysia.. democratic country my arse!...
(An Malaysian student in UK, IG, asked in his email: “Malaysian Law outlaws any student participation in politics, why are local political parties allowed to set up clubs overseas to ‘corrupt’ us.” This is his email:)
Something however has been troubling us for a while. We see the constant use of race to divide us and promulgate an agenda that is supposed to benefit the majority. Our local Malaysian Societies have been infiltrated by UMNO and MCA and any legitimate discussion about the state of affairs in Malaysia is anathema. We are forced to tow the Government’s line and those who do not are branded un-Malaysian. I find this most unfair.
I was offered a a membership with one of the mainstream political parties that have set up their base here under the illusion of an overseas club, I proudly rejected the offer hoping to remain politically neutral and take time to form my political thought and be my own man.
Sadly this is no longer possible. UMNO is not only bank-rolling the operations of the UMNO CLub but they are offering financial incentives to their members. MCA is no better as the Chinese feel they need to unite against a very conservative Malaysian Society, sadly again, they are heavily influenced by the impotent MCA in Malaysia.
I proposed to a few of my friends that we must set up an alternative body to counter the influence of the mainstream parties. Why don’t we have an opposition overseas club, though I heavily oppose the idea of Malaysian political parties setting up bases overseas and influencing Malaysian Students, I believe we can only beat them when we play their game.
That’s why I am asking you good self to agree to establishment of a DAP UK Club, so that Malaysian students studying here will have a choice as to who they would like to join. A racist Government or lend a helping hand to an emerging Opposition…
Another point I wish to add, the fact that Malaysian Law outlaws any student participation in politics, why are local political parties allowed to set up clubs overseas to “corrupt” us. Maybe this is a point that ought to be raised in Parliament.
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/?p=869
am quite surprise with the response... the link to this article and the response fm the public can be found below this msg...
think i read somewhere in the response column that umno actually paid an all expense trip for a student to come back for their last meeting and then fly back!...
all this is because they wanna gather more support which they know they are lacking recently?!?...
using tax payers money for their personal gain?!?...
using tax payers money for the interest of their own party?!?...
p/s ; if this is to be proven true.. then, umno fellas who 'approved' this kinda stuffs better watch their back.. but then again, umno = bn = aab = government = country = malaysia.. democratic country my arse!...
(An Malaysian student in UK, IG, asked in his email: “Malaysian Law outlaws any student participation in politics, why are local political parties allowed to set up clubs overseas to ‘corrupt’ us.” This is his email:)
Something however has been troubling us for a while. We see the constant use of race to divide us and promulgate an agenda that is supposed to benefit the majority. Our local Malaysian Societies have been infiltrated by UMNO and MCA and any legitimate discussion about the state of affairs in Malaysia is anathema. We are forced to tow the Government’s line and those who do not are branded un-Malaysian. I find this most unfair.
I was offered a a membership with one of the mainstream political parties that have set up their base here under the illusion of an overseas club, I proudly rejected the offer hoping to remain politically neutral and take time to form my political thought and be my own man.
Sadly this is no longer possible. UMNO is not only bank-rolling the operations of the UMNO CLub but they are offering financial incentives to their members. MCA is no better as the Chinese feel they need to unite against a very conservative Malaysian Society, sadly again, they are heavily influenced by the impotent MCA in Malaysia.
I proposed to a few of my friends that we must set up an alternative body to counter the influence of the mainstream parties. Why don’t we have an opposition overseas club, though I heavily oppose the idea of Malaysian political parties setting up bases overseas and influencing Malaysian Students, I believe we can only beat them when we play their game.
That’s why I am asking you good self to agree to establishment of a DAP UK Club, so that Malaysian students studying here will have a choice as to who they would like to join. A racist Government or lend a helping hand to an emerging Opposition…
Another point I wish to add, the fact that Malaysian Law outlaws any student participation in politics, why are local political parties allowed to set up clubs overseas to “corrupt” us. Maybe this is a point that ought to be raised in Parliament.
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/?p=869
freedom of the press...
know quite a good number of journalist and wonder what will they honestly say about this particular issue...
according to numerous reports lately re the freedom of the press.. are you really having that kinda 'uncontrolled freedom'?!?...
will you and/or yr company take risk to report on some wrong doing by certain people and eventually get into trouble when you and/or yr company report and publish that truth?!?....
reading and studying the details and reports in various newspapers for the past week or so.. it seems that, everything seems to be so nice and fine (minus the criminal news, which is on a rise), esp news fm the govt... wat took my interest is najib's 'whipping' session to umno members who made racial remarks during the umno meeting.. each and every newspaper is reporting on this every alternate day, eventho this is a govt party 'whipping' govt party thing... are they in the umno trying to tell the rakyat thru the press that they are doing the right thing and wants the press to write more about this?!?... this is just an example...
is the govt doing all this BECAUSE the general election is coming soon?!?... to me personally... yes, it is!... think they need the press to help them paint a better picture which the current picture is already all 'smeared' up... also to repair the 'dented' image the govt is having right now... the next g.e expected to be in may 2007 or so... be ready!..
p/s ; the power of changing the govt is thru the ballot boxes!.. pls vote wisely!...
according to numerous reports lately re the freedom of the press.. are you really having that kinda 'uncontrolled freedom'?!?...
will you and/or yr company take risk to report on some wrong doing by certain people and eventually get into trouble when you and/or yr company report and publish that truth?!?....
reading and studying the details and reports in various newspapers for the past week or so.. it seems that, everything seems to be so nice and fine (minus the criminal news, which is on a rise), esp news fm the govt... wat took my interest is najib's 'whipping' session to umno members who made racial remarks during the umno meeting.. each and every newspaper is reporting on this every alternate day, eventho this is a govt party 'whipping' govt party thing... are they in the umno trying to tell the rakyat thru the press that they are doing the right thing and wants the press to write more about this?!?... this is just an example...
is the govt doing all this BECAUSE the general election is coming soon?!?... to me personally... yes, it is!... think they need the press to help them paint a better picture which the current picture is already all 'smeared' up... also to repair the 'dented' image the govt is having right now... the next g.e expected to be in may 2007 or so... be ready!..
p/s ; the power of changing the govt is thru the ballot boxes!.. pls vote wisely!...
mat taib making a strong return?!?...
reading up the newspaper today and this particular article caught very much of my interest...
after the brisbane scandal of his.. being stripped off his mentri besar title and all.... he is extremely quiet until recently.. all this while he remained as a true blue umno member...
to those who have been following up on him...
will he make a strong return and help pak lah in certain way/s?!?...
he is 61 now and leading and living a wealthy and stress free life, is it wise for him to do so, to come back strongly into politics?!?...
apparently 'selangor-needs-his-voice'... wat's in store for him, in selangor, in the cabinet, etc?!?...
Mat Taib for Cabinet post?
Comment by JOCELINE TAN
WHEN Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib’s appointment as Senator was announced on the final day of the Umno general assembly, there was a loud burst of applause from the floor.
The Umno information chief is very well liked and the congratulations he received later that day were numerous and, more importantly, genuine.
Despite his reputation as the most powerful man in Selangor during the nineties, Mat Taib has been first and foremost a grassroots politician known for his humble and helpful ways.
But even as they congratulated him, many were also wondering whether that meant he would soon join the Cabinet.
For several months now, there has been talk that Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Aziz Shamsuddin was no longer keen to stay on in the Cabinet.
As such, the timing of Muhammad’s appointment to the Senate seems more than pure coincidence, particularly given that the Prime Minister has neither denied nor confirmed the speculation.
Politics is very much about timing and the time seems to have come for Muhammad.
The senatorship had been talked about since early this year after Kuala Langat MP Datuk Shafie Salleh was dropped from the Cabinet in the February reshuffle.
It left Selangor without representation in the Cabinet although the state Barisan Nasional made a clean sweep of the 22 parliamentary seats. Of these, 10 were Umno MPs.
Apart from Aziz who is Shah Alam MP (but whose division is in Perak), the state has two deputy ministers and a parliamentary secretary, all of whom are still learning the ropes while the rest are largely first-timers.
It can be summed up as the Selangor factor and explains why the Prime Minister is seriously looking at Muhammad.
Apart from his vast administrative experience, he has been loyal to the party despite being stripped of his Mentri Besar post after the Brisbane scandal.
“He went through trying times. He had a very publicised life and fell from so high. But he was patient, carried on with his work and stayed loyal to the party. I think he has passed the test and redeemed himself,” said Johor Baru MP Datuk Shahrir Samad.
Or as an aide to a minister put it: “I see the PM asking himself three questions about Mat Taib. One, will he perform? Two, will he be loyal? Three, is he aligned to Tun Mahathir? If the answer is two yes’ and one no, then Mat Taib is right for the job.”
Some are even talking rather dramatically about the “return of Tan Sri Mat Taib” to Selangor politics, that he is being brought back to counter the growing influence of Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo in Selangor.
But that is unlikely. Gone are the days when they used to call him “Mike Tyson” because of his political invincibility and the macho buzz-cut hairdo that he used to sport.
He has been out of electoral politics for two general elections.
Although he still cuts a dashing figure (he is 61), his hair has turned salt-and-pepper and he is realistic about his politics.
The political warlords from his era are still around but a new generation of Umno members has also emerged and they have their own loyalties.
Moreover, his post as Senator is at the pleasure of his party boss Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
And according to Selangor Umno Youth deputy chief Faisal Abdullah, Dr Khir and Muhammad have a great working relationship.
“Some people would like to see them clash but they get along and are constantly in touch with each other,” said Faisal.
Muhammad, said Faisal, is like an elder brother to Dr Khir although Dr Khir is the state Umno liaison chief and Muhammad his No 2.
Dr Khir made it a point to attend Muhammad’s personal Raya open house as well as the latter’s Kelana Jaya Raya gathering last Friday night.
The Mentri Besar had an evening state exco meeting that lasted till past midnight, after which he rushed over to Kelana Jaya, arriving at Muhammad’s gathering at 12.50am.
“We need someone strong like Tan Sri Mat Taib at the federal level. He will be the Selangor voice,” said Faisal.
Umno being Umno, speculation will continue about where Muhammad is headed and its impact on Selangor Umno.
And whatever those outside may think of the “return of Tan Sri Mat Taib”, party members see it as a fitting conclusion for a true-blue Umno man.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/11/23/focus/16107339&sec=focus
after the brisbane scandal of his.. being stripped off his mentri besar title and all.... he is extremely quiet until recently.. all this while he remained as a true blue umno member...
to those who have been following up on him...
will he make a strong return and help pak lah in certain way/s?!?...
he is 61 now and leading and living a wealthy and stress free life, is it wise for him to do so, to come back strongly into politics?!?...
apparently 'selangor-needs-his-voice'... wat's in store for him, in selangor, in the cabinet, etc?!?...
Mat Taib for Cabinet post?
Comment by JOCELINE TAN
WHEN Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib’s appointment as Senator was announced on the final day of the Umno general assembly, there was a loud burst of applause from the floor.
The Umno information chief is very well liked and the congratulations he received later that day were numerous and, more importantly, genuine.
Despite his reputation as the most powerful man in Selangor during the nineties, Mat Taib has been first and foremost a grassroots politician known for his humble and helpful ways.
But even as they congratulated him, many were also wondering whether that meant he would soon join the Cabinet.
For several months now, there has been talk that Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Aziz Shamsuddin was no longer keen to stay on in the Cabinet.
As such, the timing of Muhammad’s appointment to the Senate seems more than pure coincidence, particularly given that the Prime Minister has neither denied nor confirmed the speculation.
Politics is very much about timing and the time seems to have come for Muhammad.
The senatorship had been talked about since early this year after Kuala Langat MP Datuk Shafie Salleh was dropped from the Cabinet in the February reshuffle.
It left Selangor without representation in the Cabinet although the state Barisan Nasional made a clean sweep of the 22 parliamentary seats. Of these, 10 were Umno MPs.
Apart from Aziz who is Shah Alam MP (but whose division is in Perak), the state has two deputy ministers and a parliamentary secretary, all of whom are still learning the ropes while the rest are largely first-timers.
It can be summed up as the Selangor factor and explains why the Prime Minister is seriously looking at Muhammad.
Apart from his vast administrative experience, he has been loyal to the party despite being stripped of his Mentri Besar post after the Brisbane scandal.
“He went through trying times. He had a very publicised life and fell from so high. But he was patient, carried on with his work and stayed loyal to the party. I think he has passed the test and redeemed himself,” said Johor Baru MP Datuk Shahrir Samad.
Or as an aide to a minister put it: “I see the PM asking himself three questions about Mat Taib. One, will he perform? Two, will he be loyal? Three, is he aligned to Tun Mahathir? If the answer is two yes’ and one no, then Mat Taib is right for the job.”
Some are even talking rather dramatically about the “return of Tan Sri Mat Taib” to Selangor politics, that he is being brought back to counter the growing influence of Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo in Selangor.
But that is unlikely. Gone are the days when they used to call him “Mike Tyson” because of his political invincibility and the macho buzz-cut hairdo that he used to sport.
He has been out of electoral politics for two general elections.
Although he still cuts a dashing figure (he is 61), his hair has turned salt-and-pepper and he is realistic about his politics.
The political warlords from his era are still around but a new generation of Umno members has also emerged and they have their own loyalties.
Moreover, his post as Senator is at the pleasure of his party boss Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
And according to Selangor Umno Youth deputy chief Faisal Abdullah, Dr Khir and Muhammad have a great working relationship.
“Some people would like to see them clash but they get along and are constantly in touch with each other,” said Faisal.
Muhammad, said Faisal, is like an elder brother to Dr Khir although Dr Khir is the state Umno liaison chief and Muhammad his No 2.
Dr Khir made it a point to attend Muhammad’s personal Raya open house as well as the latter’s Kelana Jaya Raya gathering last Friday night.
The Mentri Besar had an evening state exco meeting that lasted till past midnight, after which he rushed over to Kelana Jaya, arriving at Muhammad’s gathering at 12.50am.
“We need someone strong like Tan Sri Mat Taib at the federal level. He will be the Selangor voice,” said Faisal.
Umno being Umno, speculation will continue about where Muhammad is headed and its impact on Selangor Umno.
And whatever those outside may think of the “return of Tan Sri Mat Taib”, party members see it as a fitting conclusion for a true-blue Umno man.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/11/23/focus/16107339&sec=focus
khalwat...
am honestly speechless...
wat happen if this happened to you?!?..
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/10/28/nation/15839442&sec=nation
another SHAMEFUL event for malaysia... all this kinda pricks is definitely giving malaysia and islam a bad name...
this kinda humiliation certainly deserves a public apology...
orang yang buat serbuan tu... gunakan otak yang Tuhan bagi tu sikit lah wei...
wat happen if this happened to you?!?..
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/10/28/nation/15839442&sec=nation
another SHAMEFUL event for malaysia... all this kinda pricks is definitely giving malaysia and islam a bad name...
this kinda humiliation certainly deserves a public apology...
orang yang buat serbuan tu... gunakan otak yang Tuhan bagi tu sikit lah wei...
outrageous events.. another brilliant article by marina mahathir...
another brilliant article by mm..
there are mainly 3 issues she mentioned here...
on the best actor in mpk who build a castle in the middle of a kampung, some dumb authorities who did some stupid actions and spolied the image of malaysia and the aca-can't-touch-political-party...
the aca-cant-touch-us-because-we-are-a-political-party issue is indeed putting malaysians to shame... this may even go to a certain extent that foreign investors investing here may put a brake into their investments, etc... am quite surprise the day after this issue was published in the newspaper, the following day he denied saying that.. sigh... trying to do some damage control to his reputation and/or umno?!?... nazri is certainly a... hmmmmm... errrrrr... nevermind, forget about it...
prolly she is given only a certain amount of words to use, quarter of a page report, etc... since the star is owned by the pathetic kowtow group of chinese, the mca... and mca is under bn and bn is running the country, hence everything reported will be controlled and monitored by mca...
p/s ; did you know malaysia slipped 5 ranks down in the corruption ranking (http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/11/7/nation/15937303&sec=nation)?!?...
p/s ; what's next fm the govt?!?...
Outrageous events
Musings by MARINA MAHATHIR
IT’S NOT the first time that I’m feeling that life in this country is surreal but certainly these past few weeks have scored higher than usual on the “is-this-really-my-country” register.
First we get reams of news about people who have quite blatantly abused their power. A humongous house built illegally with heaven knows whose money. Blatant disregard for rules and regulations, not to mention propriety. Very fudged “truths”. I would even venture that disrespecting people’s intelligence should also be considered a crime.
It’s interesting to see how after quite rightly crucifying the guy, the rehabilitation promptly starts. First a large section of what should have been a news page is devoted to how the feng shui of his house was wrong and that’s why he’s in so much trouble. Does this mean that all any crook has to do is make sure his house is properly aligned and he’ll get away with anything? Maybe we should employ a whole bunch of feng shui sleuths to size up big houses immediately.
Then there’s the astounding spectacle of the formerly Gucci be-shaded politician all red-eyed and puffy bemoaning the way life has been so horrible lately when all he’s ever done is help people. (We should perhaps look at what “help” actually means.)
And our ever-curious media swallows it whole, accepts his refusal to answer questions (couldn’t he at least have said it would have been sub judice, assuming he will go to court at some point?) and then talks about his “simple wooden home where he lives with his 11 kids and their spouses and children as well as his aged mother”.
I reckon any tour of squatter settlements around KL will reveal quite a few families in the same boat, none of whom have the means to improve their living conditions by building a palace, legally or illegally.
Then we have the equally sorry spectacle of our over-testosteroned gung-ho religious zealots who tried to “catch” a non-Muslim foreign couple in their 60s for khalwat. And don’t we love the defence given by the Kedah Jabatan Ugama that essentially they were just doing their job?
It strikes a poor simpleton like me that if you bang on people’s doors and they answer in what must have been obviously American-twanged English, it would be fair to conclude that a) they are foreign, and b) they are likely not to be Muslim. Unless this was actually a way of trying to show Mr Bush who’s boss, in Langkawi at least.
By the way, let us not get upset about this episode just because it hurts our tourism industry. Our own people have had to endure this ridiculous policing of our private lives for ages and how many times have such “enforcers” made mistakes such as this with their own community?
Malaysia stands alone with only Saudi Arabia and Iran in this type of state intrusion into people’s lives. Does anyone think that tourists are impressed if we confine this to just our people? Maybe we should start doing khalwat tours and charge tourists to accompany our religious officials on their raids and see if arrivals increase.
Then we poor dumb Malaysians get told that we cannot do anything about politicians on the take because hey, it’s an in-house matter and it doesn’t affect us outsiders at all. Sorry? Politicos have nothing to do with the rest of us? Don’t we “outsiders” vote them in every few years? You mean to say that our anti-corruption agency was set up just to deal with those of us not fool enough to join a political party? That’s a great recruitment ploy, I must say.
When people complain that those of us who provide intelligent criticism of the workings of our country are spoiling the image of Malaysia, it makes me wonder how these guys I just mentioned enhances it.
Apparently being dumb, arrogant, corrupt, bigoted and zealous is better for our image than being smart, upright, fair-minded citizens. Am I missing something here or has the world turned upside down?
Maybe if we don’t travel outside our country and don’t care about the image of our country (although some Ministers keep reminding us we should), it’s okay to gloss over these outrageous events. But if, like me, you travel overseas and meet well-read people, it’s hard to know where to put our faces.
We need someone to restore our moral bearings, someone who just says outright that these things are wrong, no fudging, no excuses. Someone who understands that these events bring shame to our country, not pride. Otherwise an entire continent might not want to be associated with us if this is what “Truly Asia” really means.
http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2006/11/8/lifefocus/15916469&sec=lifefocus
there are mainly 3 issues she mentioned here...
on the best actor in mpk who build a castle in the middle of a kampung, some dumb authorities who did some stupid actions and spolied the image of malaysia and the aca-can't-touch-political-party...
the aca-cant-touch-us-because-we-are-a-political-party issue is indeed putting malaysians to shame... this may even go to a certain extent that foreign investors investing here may put a brake into their investments, etc... am quite surprise the day after this issue was published in the newspaper, the following day he denied saying that.. sigh... trying to do some damage control to his reputation and/or umno?!?... nazri is certainly a... hmmmmm... errrrrr... nevermind, forget about it...
prolly she is given only a certain amount of words to use, quarter of a page report, etc... since the star is owned by the pathetic kowtow group of chinese, the mca... and mca is under bn and bn is running the country, hence everything reported will be controlled and monitored by mca...
p/s ; did you know malaysia slipped 5 ranks down in the corruption ranking (http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/11/7/nation/15937303&sec=nation)?!?...
p/s ; what's next fm the govt?!?...
Outrageous events
Musings by MARINA MAHATHIR
IT’S NOT the first time that I’m feeling that life in this country is surreal but certainly these past few weeks have scored higher than usual on the “is-this-really-my-country” register.
First we get reams of news about people who have quite blatantly abused their power. A humongous house built illegally with heaven knows whose money. Blatant disregard for rules and regulations, not to mention propriety. Very fudged “truths”. I would even venture that disrespecting people’s intelligence should also be considered a crime.
It’s interesting to see how after quite rightly crucifying the guy, the rehabilitation promptly starts. First a large section of what should have been a news page is devoted to how the feng shui of his house was wrong and that’s why he’s in so much trouble. Does this mean that all any crook has to do is make sure his house is properly aligned and he’ll get away with anything? Maybe we should employ a whole bunch of feng shui sleuths to size up big houses immediately.
Then there’s the astounding spectacle of the formerly Gucci be-shaded politician all red-eyed and puffy bemoaning the way life has been so horrible lately when all he’s ever done is help people. (We should perhaps look at what “help” actually means.)
And our ever-curious media swallows it whole, accepts his refusal to answer questions (couldn’t he at least have said it would have been sub judice, assuming he will go to court at some point?) and then talks about his “simple wooden home where he lives with his 11 kids and their spouses and children as well as his aged mother”.
I reckon any tour of squatter settlements around KL will reveal quite a few families in the same boat, none of whom have the means to improve their living conditions by building a palace, legally or illegally.
Then we have the equally sorry spectacle of our over-testosteroned gung-ho religious zealots who tried to “catch” a non-Muslim foreign couple in their 60s for khalwat. And don’t we love the defence given by the Kedah Jabatan Ugama that essentially they were just doing their job?
It strikes a poor simpleton like me that if you bang on people’s doors and they answer in what must have been obviously American-twanged English, it would be fair to conclude that a) they are foreign, and b) they are likely not to be Muslim. Unless this was actually a way of trying to show Mr Bush who’s boss, in Langkawi at least.
By the way, let us not get upset about this episode just because it hurts our tourism industry. Our own people have had to endure this ridiculous policing of our private lives for ages and how many times have such “enforcers” made mistakes such as this with their own community?
Malaysia stands alone with only Saudi Arabia and Iran in this type of state intrusion into people’s lives. Does anyone think that tourists are impressed if we confine this to just our people? Maybe we should start doing khalwat tours and charge tourists to accompany our religious officials on their raids and see if arrivals increase.
Then we poor dumb Malaysians get told that we cannot do anything about politicians on the take because hey, it’s an in-house matter and it doesn’t affect us outsiders at all. Sorry? Politicos have nothing to do with the rest of us? Don’t we “outsiders” vote them in every few years? You mean to say that our anti-corruption agency was set up just to deal with those of us not fool enough to join a political party? That’s a great recruitment ploy, I must say.
When people complain that those of us who provide intelligent criticism of the workings of our country are spoiling the image of Malaysia, it makes me wonder how these guys I just mentioned enhances it.
Apparently being dumb, arrogant, corrupt, bigoted and zealous is better for our image than being smart, upright, fair-minded citizens. Am I missing something here or has the world turned upside down?
Maybe if we don’t travel outside our country and don’t care about the image of our country (although some Ministers keep reminding us we should), it’s okay to gloss over these outrageous events. But if, like me, you travel overseas and meet well-read people, it’s hard to know where to put our faces.
We need someone to restore our moral bearings, someone who just says outright that these things are wrong, no fudging, no excuses. Someone who understands that these events bring shame to our country, not pride. Otherwise an entire continent might not want to be associated with us if this is what “Truly Asia” really means.
http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2006/11/8/lifefocus/15916469&sec=lifefocus
malaysian going to space...
this joke never fail to put a smile on face... :) ...
an american who goes to the space is called astronaut...
a russian who goes to the space is called cosmonaut...
a chinese who goes to the space is called taikonaut...
a malaysian who goes to the space...... can or not?!?...
an american who goes to the space is called astronaut...
a russian who goes to the space is called cosmonaut...
a chinese who goes to the space is called taikonaut...
a malaysian who goes to the space...... can or not?!?...
pak lah's 3 years report card...
interesting article to read on...
Pak Lah´s 3-yr report card
Time & Date: October 22, 2006 @ 15: 21.16
On 15th November 2003 (http://www.limkitsiang.com/archive/2003/nov03/lks2745.htm), I said the new Prime Minister had passed with flying colours his first 14 days in office.
This is what I said:
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has passed with flying colours in his first 14 days as the new Prime Minister of Malaysia in his pledges but it is still too premature to give marks on his actions and the delivery of his promises.
Abdullah started off with a great maiden official speech in Parliament, committing himself to a “clean, incorruptible, modest and beyond suspicion” administration fully respecting parliamentary democracy and the separation of powers between the executive, legislature and the judiciary.
The beginning of Abdullah’s premiership is not very different from the ABC slogan at the launch of the 2M administration in 1981 (although Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad later said 2M meant “Mahathir Mohamad”and not “Mahathir and Musa”), pledging to be “clean, efficient and trustworthy” – “amanah, bersih, cekap” – open, accountable and tolerant of dissent.
While Malaysians want Abdullah to succeed in delivering his promises of a clean, incorruptible, efficient, accountable, transparent and democratic administration, they do not want to have another repeat of Malaysian history – a new Prime Minister starting with high and great promises which could not be honoured, but what is worse, bringing the country backwards in many of these important areas of national life at the end of his tenure.
Abdullah struck a deep chord among the people when he called on Barisan Nasional leaders to “tell the truth” and said he does not want “apple polishers”, for the simple reason that this was the national malaise for too long with the people and country suffering the iniquities of these ills.
Abdullah must be commended when he was quick to broaden his call to the people, and not just Barisan Nasional leaders, to tell him the truth. But one thing he has yet to do is to create the conditions for the people to tell him the truth.
When the opposition parties and NGOs are finding it more and more difficult to get their voices heard in the mainstream media, whether printed or electronic, how could the ordinary people tell the Prime Minister and the government unpleasant “truths” as distinct from servile praises?
With Abdullah passing his first 14 days as Prime Minister with flying colours in pledges with suspended marking on his actions, one of his greatest challenges in the next 14 days is to create a new atmosphere of freedom in the Malaysian press where the people and the opposition could tell him the truth. It is my hope that by the end of November, Malaysians can feel and sense an air of freedom in the Malaysian press, as in the first year of the 2M government in 1981 before a later clampdown, particularly after 1986.
Abdullah is completing his third year as Prime Minister at the end of this month.
Would you like to give your report card on Abdullah´s three-year premiership, may be focussing on five main points?
below are some of the comments i came across in this particular topic fm lks's blog...
well, i guess one should not count the chicken before it hatch … that’s the lesson for everyone who persume a politician will make a change for a better … most politicians are good with slogans … my report would be :
1) score F9 (fail) in reducing “corruption” – after some small ikan bilis, there are almost none (zero) corruption charges againsts some very obvious figure … even mahathir complaint about a figure of which he had submmitted the proof of curruption to govn for further actions … and many more examples …
2) score F9 (fail) in enhancing “transparency” – have we ever notice any improvement in open tenders since he took over ? none (zero) is the answer … believe it or not, most of the RMK9 has been awarded … wonder why umno penang made a big hoo-haa on replacing small-kid koh tsu koon ? it’s all about getting contracts … and many more examples …
3) score F9 (fail) in building nation’s “economy” – the most precise answer is to go down to grassroots, small businessman, hawkers, local sme to get theirs feedback … majority will tell you the economy is getting worse (susah cari makan) ... instead of focusing in gaining more FDI (foreign direct investment) to spur the economy, our pm has been taking naps every now and then (is he that tired ?) ... mind you, even indonesia has surpass us in getting foreign investment … and many more examples …
4) score F9 (fail) in enhancing citizen’s “buying power” – the increase in fuel price is the single most disastrous decision ever made … is he that stupid (naive is too soft for him) to think that such a measure will not trigger chain-reaction to price increase (of other consumer products) and subsequently inflation ? ... doesn’t he has a worthwhile economic advisors ? is the governor of bank negara that naive ? is the finance ministry’s top advisors that naive ? ... and many more examples …
5) score F9 (fail) in improving the bottoming quality of “education” – he should have reports of the quality of education/graduates from national vs vernacular schools, public uni vs private uni/colleges, un-employable grads vs employable grads etc … is he blind ? or he simply choose to ignore the facts and ignite the “ignore” syndrome yet again …
i’ve a strong feeling that he’ll wake up all of a SUDDEN and declare measures to tackle all of above problems one fine day … and that day will be the day GENERAL ELECTION is around the corner …
what a pathetic leader we have …
Economy – F9 - fumbles alot esp on budgets and forex issues
Security – F9 -the crime rate went up
Corruption – F9 index became worse; APs,SCOMI;Oil for Food
Management – F9 - super jumbo cabinet
Social – F9 - race relations worse now; cannot tolerate ASLI report
Religions – F9 - cannot tolerate discussions on Article 11
Leadership – F9 - KJ – apa erti “leadership” never heard of the word?
Education – F9 - Universities’ ranking dropped
Performance – F9 - NATO – No Action Talk Only
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/?p=774
Pak Lah´s 3-yr report card
Time & Date: October 22, 2006 @ 15: 21.16
On 15th November 2003 (http://www.limkitsiang.com/archive/2003/nov03/lks2745.htm), I said the new Prime Minister had passed with flying colours his first 14 days in office.
This is what I said:
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has passed with flying colours in his first 14 days as the new Prime Minister of Malaysia in his pledges but it is still too premature to give marks on his actions and the delivery of his promises.
Abdullah started off with a great maiden official speech in Parliament, committing himself to a “clean, incorruptible, modest and beyond suspicion” administration fully respecting parliamentary democracy and the separation of powers between the executive, legislature and the judiciary.
The beginning of Abdullah’s premiership is not very different from the ABC slogan at the launch of the 2M administration in 1981 (although Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad later said 2M meant “Mahathir Mohamad”and not “Mahathir and Musa”), pledging to be “clean, efficient and trustworthy” – “amanah, bersih, cekap” – open, accountable and tolerant of dissent.
While Malaysians want Abdullah to succeed in delivering his promises of a clean, incorruptible, efficient, accountable, transparent and democratic administration, they do not want to have another repeat of Malaysian history – a new Prime Minister starting with high and great promises which could not be honoured, but what is worse, bringing the country backwards in many of these important areas of national life at the end of his tenure.
Abdullah struck a deep chord among the people when he called on Barisan Nasional leaders to “tell the truth” and said he does not want “apple polishers”, for the simple reason that this was the national malaise for too long with the people and country suffering the iniquities of these ills.
Abdullah must be commended when he was quick to broaden his call to the people, and not just Barisan Nasional leaders, to tell him the truth. But one thing he has yet to do is to create the conditions for the people to tell him the truth.
When the opposition parties and NGOs are finding it more and more difficult to get their voices heard in the mainstream media, whether printed or electronic, how could the ordinary people tell the Prime Minister and the government unpleasant “truths” as distinct from servile praises?
With Abdullah passing his first 14 days as Prime Minister with flying colours in pledges with suspended marking on his actions, one of his greatest challenges in the next 14 days is to create a new atmosphere of freedom in the Malaysian press where the people and the opposition could tell him the truth. It is my hope that by the end of November, Malaysians can feel and sense an air of freedom in the Malaysian press, as in the first year of the 2M government in 1981 before a later clampdown, particularly after 1986.
Abdullah is completing his third year as Prime Minister at the end of this month.
Would you like to give your report card on Abdullah´s three-year premiership, may be focussing on five main points?
below are some of the comments i came across in this particular topic fm lks's blog...
well, i guess one should not count the chicken before it hatch … that’s the lesson for everyone who persume a politician will make a change for a better … most politicians are good with slogans … my report would be :
1) score F9 (fail) in reducing “corruption” – after some small ikan bilis, there are almost none (zero) corruption charges againsts some very obvious figure … even mahathir complaint about a figure of which he had submmitted the proof of curruption to govn for further actions … and many more examples …
2) score F9 (fail) in enhancing “transparency” – have we ever notice any improvement in open tenders since he took over ? none (zero) is the answer … believe it or not, most of the RMK9 has been awarded … wonder why umno penang made a big hoo-haa on replacing small-kid koh tsu koon ? it’s all about getting contracts … and many more examples …
3) score F9 (fail) in building nation’s “economy” – the most precise answer is to go down to grassroots, small businessman, hawkers, local sme to get theirs feedback … majority will tell you the economy is getting worse (susah cari makan) ... instead of focusing in gaining more FDI (foreign direct investment) to spur the economy, our pm has been taking naps every now and then (is he that tired ?) ... mind you, even indonesia has surpass us in getting foreign investment … and many more examples …
4) score F9 (fail) in enhancing citizen’s “buying power” – the increase in fuel price is the single most disastrous decision ever made … is he that stupid (naive is too soft for him) to think that such a measure will not trigger chain-reaction to price increase (of other consumer products) and subsequently inflation ? ... doesn’t he has a worthwhile economic advisors ? is the governor of bank negara that naive ? is the finance ministry’s top advisors that naive ? ... and many more examples …
5) score F9 (fail) in improving the bottoming quality of “education” – he should have reports of the quality of education/graduates from national vs vernacular schools, public uni vs private uni/colleges, un-employable grads vs employable grads etc … is he blind ? or he simply choose to ignore the facts and ignite the “ignore” syndrome yet again …
i’ve a strong feeling that he’ll wake up all of a SUDDEN and declare measures to tackle all of above problems one fine day … and that day will be the day GENERAL ELECTION is around the corner …
what a pathetic leader we have …
Economy – F9 - fumbles alot esp on budgets and forex issues
Security – F9 -the crime rate went up
Corruption – F9 index became worse; APs,SCOMI;Oil for Food
Management – F9 - super jumbo cabinet
Social – F9 - race relations worse now; cannot tolerate ASLI report
Religions – F9 - cannot tolerate discussions on Article 11
Leadership – F9 - KJ – apa erti “leadership” never heard of the word?
Education – F9 - Universities’ ranking dropped
Performance – F9 - NATO – No Action Talk Only
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/?p=774
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