a new dawn

It started with Tun Dr Mahathir quitting UMNO in February 2017 and setting up his own party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia. In the run up to GE14, Pakatan Harapan proposed that Tun Dr Mahathir will become the new Prime Minister should they win, thereby paving the way for Tun Dr Mahathir to lead the Pakatan Harapan coalition for GE14.

On Tuesday, 1 May 2018, former finance minister (1985-1991 and 1999-2001) Tun Daim Zainuddin openly supported Tun Dr Mahathir at a gathering in Kedah.

On the very same day, Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, former international trade and industry minister (1987-2008), had called out to Malaysians to reject UMNO and support Pakatan Harapan. A no nonsense lady, she resigned as the Chairman of Supermax Corporation Berhad two days after its Chairman Datuk Seri Stanley Thai held a special press conference to apologise to Datuk Seri Najib for campaigning for the opposition in GE13.

Having all these veterans coming out of retirement to speak out against the incumbent government and go on a grueling campaign trail, I take my hats off to them. It was a very exciting time, like watching a team of Avengers being put together. And the end... the end was more than what we could hope for.

Below is my post-GE14 thoughts, taken from Facebook:

Yes Tan Sri Rafidah, I too was hopeful but didn't actually believe Pakatan Harapan or any other party/coalition would ever wrestle control over the federal government. I mean, it has always been BN and with all the gerrymandering and mid-week polling day... Seriously, Wednesday?! That was really frustrating for me because we're not based in Malaysia at the moment.

But the rakyat has proven me wrong, and I'm so so so happy to be wrong! This shows and prove to everyone who has ever said "aiyah, I'm only one vote" that the power truly lies in our hands. That exercising your vote wisely is one of the the greatest responsibility you will ever have in this life.

EVERY VOTE COUNTS.

I'm very very proud of all my family and friends who travelled near and far to cast their votes. When we were watching the live results, my dad and I was pleasantly surprised that the voters turn out rate was more than 70% for almost all Parliamentary seats. That's bloody awesome for a Wednesday polling day.

I'm so excited for what lies ahead for Malaysia. PH better do a good job. I'm sure they won't do worse than BN, but I do hope they will see through what they have promised us. If we can vote out BN, we can vote out PH too. So please make the next 5 years count.

My husband and I discussed what our future plans would be like if PH wins GE14. Would we return to Malaysia? Most definitely, when the time is right. Malaysia is being reborned and she needs talent to help her grow again.

My dream now is that some day, we Malaysians do not have to work/live overseas for a better future. Not just for monetary reasons, but security, education, health care, etc. My dream is that overseas Malaysians would now have a reason to return. And my friends and I would be able to sit round a table and have teh tarik, not only when we "visit" but whenever we feel like it.

Congratulations, people of Malaysia! Let's make Malaysia great again!

a slap to the face

Since Sunday evening, my FB page was all abuzz with people rushing to share this particular link: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysia-cannot-succeed-unless-equal-opportunity-given-to-non-muslims-says. It was an article on certain statements made by Obama during the Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative town hall meeting, held in conjunction with his visit to Malaysia over the weekend.

While I applaud him for being quite bold, I did not feel the ground move. He merely reiterated what Lee Kuan Yew had written in his book, and what we Malaysians are well aware of but do not openly discuss.


Regrets, I have a few...

I'm not writing this to go into on how wise he is or how Najib probably doesn't want to be friends with Obama anymore. I made an interesting observation amidst all this: none of my Malay friends have shared that link or like the shared link (none that I have observed anyway). Now that I think back on it, almost all my Malay friends chose the silent path when race as a subject crop up. I'm far from upset at them, but it does beg the question, what is so taboo about speaking up on unfairness or a show of support for equality?

Obama wasn't criticizing the Malay race. He voiced out what we all already know: that the Malays are one-up from the other races of the land. It's a fact. A way of life that the non-Malays cannot question and the Malays do not complain about.

Any factions who are oppressed or marginalized need a defender to speak up for them. I would like to see that things can go on the way it is if a 19 million strong voice actually spoke up for the non-Malays. But the sad and ugly truth is, most Malays do not want to get involved. Being involved means that they want their special rights to be taken away, and it affects not just them but their future generations too. I must agree that it's always nice to have insurance to hedge against the unknown. In their shoes, I wouldn't want to be worse off than when I started either.

What this effectively means is, although the President has spoken, we all just syok sendiri only. Nothing can change and nothing will change until the government changes. BN cannot take criticism and cannot care less if people don't agree with their ways. As predictable as the ticking hand of a clock, the government has quickly defended itself with logic that’s so off tangent and at the same time evasive. Read all about it here.

A system or society built on meritocracy is really not such a bad thing. If you run a cafe, and your cashier kept getting all the bills mixed up, would you keep him? If you run a hotel, and your hotel manager is rude to guests and spends all his time chatting on the phone, would you keep him? I'd be surprise if you said you would, for it's human nature to only want the best, especially if you're paying for something. Running a country is very much like running a business. Everyone must do their job well so that the business will flourish. And if you understand this, why would you want anything less for your country?

** Edit **

Included here a screenshot of the article by The Star, the government's preferred daily publication. I would deeply regret it if such a fine article is archived in the future and no one gets to read it anymore...

why we need a change

In my heart lies a lot of hope and an equal amount, if not more, of despair for what lies ahead of us. It seems silly to be so emotionally invested in something I singly have no control over, yet hope is all I have.

For more than 55 years our country has been ruled by the BN coalition. While our country has seen much progress under the leadership of Tun Dr Mahathir, the recurring mandate has also made the government of the day complacent, so much so that even the 2008 political tsunami did little to change the way our elected leaders conduct themselves.

Based on the 2 paragraphs above, some of you may now think I'm pro-PR or even anti-BN, or that I'm here to preach my political views. Far from it. To be frank, I have none. What I am though, is anti-corruption and pro-efficient and effective government. I'm here to convince you, if you are not already, on why we need a change.

I have an early fascination with politics and government policies. I learned that the Malay votes will usually go to BN and that as a Chinese, we should vote for the opposition so that there's a check and balance. But you know what, in my first elections, in that year when Tun Abdullah Badawi became our PM, I voted for BN. He was after all the much needed breath of fresh air. While he hit all the right notes and started off rather promising, things more or less reverted to "status quo" towards the end of his term. I truly believed he was sincere about the changes he promised, but he obviously lacked the support.

To say I was disappointed was an understatement.

Corruption became a norm. How many of us bat an eyelid whenever a policeman asked whether we want to "settle"? Year after year, without fail, the AG will report findings on overspending in government agencies. Everyone knows winning big contracts from the BN government is mostly about who you know, less what you know. What happened to PKFZ, the missing jet engine, Scorpene, National Feedlot Corporation? All these involved billions of ringgit - our hard-earned ringgit. Why is there no transparency on how Petronas spend its money?

In the newspapers we read about victims of snatch thefts being slashed by parang or laying in coma or worse, dying, again. Every time university admissions roll around, there'll be some poor kid with perfect or near perfect results who couldn't get into his university or faculty of choice. Do you remember that a big portion of your salary goes to your first car because public transportation is not reliable or easily accessible? Did you realise that there are still people who earn just enough to survive and there are hard core poor in big, modern and progressive KL?

How many times have you heard all that? It's so common to expect nothing serious to be done and we Malaysians are a forgiving and forgetful lot. But let's just sit down and really think about it for a bit. Is this something you want from your government? Can things be better?

BN has asked us for another 5 years, but how many more 5 years can we afford them, and at what cost? I have no answer as to whether PR can do a better job or whether they will end up equally corrupted. They may make a huge mess of things but I'll take my chances. I think BN should be given an opportunity to reform, and that can only happen when they are not in power. It takes time and effort to get rid of old habits, as any good man who tried to quit smoking will tell you.

Not too long ago, I decided I wanted to work overseas and leave this country for good, like many of my peers. I was made to feel like I don't belong here and it all gets very old, very tiring after a while. It doesn't seem like anything is going to change ever, and I fear that it can only get worse by the time I have children of my own. Other than my family, there doesn't seem to be any compelling reason for me to stay on.

Just when I was so sure, my dad said to me, if you really want things to change, you must stay and be part of that change.

He's right. Running away is not the solution. This Sunday, when I go to polls, know that I will bring with me all my hopes for this country. My vote is for our children and their future generations. Malaysia is not perfect, but we have so much potential, don't you agree?

too sensitive or not sensitive enough?

This piece of news appear on FB today.



Dear all, please be aware when you are at outside, no matter where you are, especially at the parking inside the mall.
This incident happened on 16/7/2012 which is yesterday night around 10pm at 1 Utama Shopping Center, old wing LG floor car park. An old man got punch by a malay guy, and he got robbed. There is no security guard around at all, and we cant even find a security guard that time. After reaching of the security guard, they want us to stop taking photo and keep chasing us leave, they are trying to cover up the issue.
And the best thing is, when I call 999, I got scolded by the police =.= "eh! cakap melayu, cakap melayu..." Excuse me sir, I know malay, I'm just kinda panic at the moment because I'm used to speak english most of the time. And it take almost half an hour for them to come over. There is a police station at Taman Tun right? Why took so long? What if people dying? This is seriously unacceptable.

Please share this to all of your friends, love one, family, strangers.. Nowadays no matter shopping complex, or wherever are no longer safe, we gotta take extra care to our self, must be extreme alert when we are at outside. Share! Share! Share!

I thought this was a kind gesture to warn the general public since the newspapers have not reported it. Like the woman who wrote on FB of how she was abducted from the carpark of The Curve.

So, imagine my horror and disgust when this whole thing spiralled into a racial issue. All because the author said the uncle was robbed by a Malay guy and the policeman chided her when she spoke in English. Ugh. Granted the uncle could be mistaken. Malay guy, Indonesian guy, Myanmar guy, a very tanned Chinese guy, all same colour. So what if it's a Chinese or Indian who robbed the uncle instead? Would it alter the crime in any way?

Even if it's really a Malay guy, she's merely stating a fact. Have we become so close minded to the point where we cannot or should not talk about race openly? We can't take things at face value anymore. It seems everything has a racial or political undertone. You cannot call an Indian keling (a colloquial word used to describe people originating from India, now considered a derogatory reference) anymore because that's racist. Calling a Chinese mata sepet (squinty eyes) is equally racist too, even though it's not entirely off the mark. And Malays, well, apparently you cannot even use them in the same sentence with "punched by a".

You should do a google search and see what certain bloggers (especially one that goes by the nick headbomb) and their commentators are writing about cina sial (fucking Chinese?) because of the FB post above. So totally taken out of context.

Let's stop turning everything into a race issue, ok? This was a crime. Someone got hurt. The author just wants people to be wary and stay safe. End of story.

of moral decay

I am angry that snatch thefts has yet again caused the senseless death of a woman.

I am sad for humanity as it was reported that several passers-by did not stop to help the injured woman or at the very least call the police or for an ambulance. It took the 8th person to finally do something about it. How have we, as a society, become so apathetic? I wonder if things would be any different if the first person had helped.

This reminds me of the 2-year old girl who was ran over twice and ignored by 18 passers-by in Foshan, China. A scrap-picker aunty eventually pulled her to the side of the road but it was too little too late by then.

We are Malaysians. We care a lot. We are one of the most generous people when it comes to charity and helping the needy. And yet, this happens. How many times have we seen something bad happening, and decided to not get involved? Even if a thief try to rob someone, if everyone gets involved, surely we will prevail. Sometimes I can't help thinking that it's general apathy that has led to criminals being more daring nowadays.

We are more educated than our parents, but our social values are way inferior. Education is supposed to make us better people, not more selfish. Where have we gone wrong?

when panglima keris speaketh

It feels like.... maybe the obvious is not obvious enough.

NO HIKE IN CRIME RATE

KUALA LUMPUR, 11 June (The Star): The recent spate of violent crimes targeting women over the past two weeks is not indicative of a rising crime rate in the country, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

He said the Government was aware of the cases but pointed out that these were not so frequent and did not reflect a state of deteriorating security in Malaysia.

“One or two cases do not affect the crime rate but if the cases are constantly played up, then it will create the perception that the country is not safe,” he told reporters after launching a gathering of his ministry's Youth Squad here yesterday.

Hishammuddin said the Government had promised three years ago to tackle street crime and focused on 50 hotspots across the country, on which they had delivered.

“I don't deny that in terms of perception, we need to improve our actions. But the 11% drop in crime rate was not said by us. It was international bodies which said it,” he added, urging the public to inform the authorities if there were areas which needed urgent attention.

Hishammuddin said he would have to discuss with the relevant ministries, local authorities and the private sector on the possibility of mandatory 24-hour surveillance of parking lots following a spate of robberies and attempted abductions in the past two weeks.

We have to talk to them and see whether (there are) legal (obstacles) or operational matters. We are open to any kind of contribution that will help,” he said.

The Government, added Hishammuddin, was also considering a move to expand the “omnipresence” of authorities at schools in a bid to enhance public confidence in the safety of their children in such public places.

The Cabinet had discussed this issue in light of the recent kidnapping of Dutch boy Nayati Shamelin Moodliar, he said.

We will also try to involve volunteer corps such as Rela in this. We believe that with the increased presence in certain areas at certain times, it will change the perception (of poor public safety),” he said.

Nayati was abducted near his home on April 27 while walking to the Mont' Kiara International School but released unharmed six days later. Three people have so far been charged with the kidnapping although the mastermind is still at large in Europe.

On the replacement for the two members of the Independent Advisory Panel on Bersih 3.0 who opted out, Hishammuddin said it was the panel's prerogative to find suitable candidates to fill the vacancies.

He stressed that his ministry still intended to release its video compilation of incidents during the Bersih 3.0 rally but only after the panel had viewed the footage and presented its opinions to the ministry.

Well, besides Nayati, let's not forget the girl who was almost abducted from the parking lot of a shopping complex, the teacher who was battered so badly she's in an induced coma, another abduction attempt on a primary school kid, the kidnapping of a project manager, the cold-blooded murder of a little girl over a grudge, also this, this and this.

And all the above, is only in the last 2 months or so. Apprently, we have now been told, this is a matter of perception.

So yea, thank you minister, for that. I feel so much safer now.

infamy 3.0

It makes me so sad hearing from friends and acquiantances, and reading all the blog and facebook updates, of their first hand experience on how the peaceful rally quickly descended into hell. It seemed the attacks started at the point when the organisers declared Bersih 3.0 a success and asked for everyone to disperse.

There's really no need for the excessive use of force against defenseless citizens.



Read more here:
1. http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/frontpage/2012/04/30/bersih-experience/
2. http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/04/29/punched-slapped-kicked/
3. http://rantingsbymm.blogspot.com/2012/04/my-bersih-30-experience-behind-barbed.html#!/2012/04/my-bersih-30-experience-behind-barbed.html
4. http://www.malaysiakini.cowarm/letters/196420
5. http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/196403
6. http://legod.blogspot.com/2012/04/arrogance-breeds-contempt.html
7. http://www.malaysiandigest.com/opinion/43511-lets-tell-the-main-story-of-bersih-30.html

Sadder still, what do people remember about Bersih 3.0? Was the coffeeshop talk about the 3 demands and whether or not the point got across? Or is everyone more preoccupied with conspiracy theories on who started the chaos?

but why?

It was with utter disgust when I read that just last week, the Parliament had passed a bill to amend the Election Offences Act 1954.

(a) Section 11(c) which had required any print materials to have the names and addresses of its printer and publisher is DELETED IN FULL;

(b) Section 14 1(a) is replaced with a clause which allows the Election Commission (EC) to appoint time slots to determine when polling agents or counting agents of a candidate may be present. Therefore the time when an agent of a candidate is allowed into the polling station is no longer fixed and is now left to the discretion of the EC to decide. They are free to remove agents from polling station at will;

(c) Section 26 1(e) which allowed for checking of the identity of any person entering a polling centre is DELETED IN FULL; and

(d) Section 26A subsection (2) and (3) are DELETED IN FULL. This means that all channels of election observation are sealed off as it now does not allow election candidates and staff to observe the registration of voters during polling day. There will be no more Barung Observers who were previously the only non-EC people able to look at the IC of the voter and pick up discrepancies.

(Source: http://bersih.org/?p=4744)

What just happened here?

It's like all this campaigning for free and fair elections had fell on deaf ears, and we are now worse off than before. Clearly, the last minute move by BN and EC to push the amendments through sought to make the election process less transparent and easier to manipulate. Clearly, they are also saying to us, "So, what can you do about this, huh?"

I'm all for Bersih 3.0. I'm ready to don my yellow shirt and march with the masses. I'm ready to suffer whatever consequences for partaking in this rally. Most of all, I'm ready for change.

But why is Bersih so adamant on Dataran Merdeka? Why is Bersih refusing to negotiate? The government has offered four other venues to hold the rally. Stadium Merdeka would be a good choice if you're aiming for historical significance and symbolism. Wasn't that the chosen venue last year before the government went back on their promise? You know they will find a way to screw things up so why not just play by their rules for a while?

What's going to happen on Saturday is anyone's guess but I would imagine the government and police would come down hard on Bersih, and they would justify it by saying Bersih did not cooperate. The circumstances surrounding this Bersih 3.0 march and last year's Bersih 2.0 march is different; last year, the government played us for fools. I just feel that if all the chaos, tear-gassing, manhandling and arrests can be avoided this round, why not. Let's not lose focus here.

Are we now fighting for free and fair elections, or fighting to occupy Dataran Merdeka? I'm in two minds over going for the march...

sex 901

The BF thought he would be convicted, because by not becoming a witness and defending himself when given a chance to, he is basically denying his rights to be heard. He strongly felt that it can be viewed as an admission of guilt, because lying in the Court is an offence.

I thought he would be convicted, no matter what he say or do not say. The very basis for the case itself is flawed and for allowing the sham case to go on for so long in the Court is a mockery to the justice system. So why bother to say your peace if you know justice will not be served?


(Source: The Malaysian Insider)

Well, surprisingly we were both proved wrong. We do not think he would survive this, but I'm satisfied with the verdict. I would like to think it's a step in the right direction, where the justice system is concerned in Malaysia, but I can't discount the fact that it was a sham case to begin with. Also, no sooner than when the verdict was out, the Gahmen released a statement that the verdict shows that Malaysia has an independent judiciary and that the Gahmen does not influence the Court's decision. That statement's kinda unnecessary and sorta defensive, don't you think?

being chinese

I struggle to bite my tongue on so-called sensitive issues in this blog. I practice self censure because it gets tiring and repetitive after a while, but mostly because I'm afraid the government will use ISA on me.

However, the PM Najib Razak has promised that the government will never censor the Internet and that it’s important for bloggers to put forward their views so that the government can build a better future for our country. The PM calls for constructive criticism and will allow freedom of speech on blogs. So here is my two sen worth of constructive criticism:-

Dear PM Najib Razak,

Utusan Malaysia has started yet another racist rant, this time calling for its owners, UMNO, to spearhead a 1Melayu 1Bumi movement involving all Melayu parties. Zaini Hassan wrote that:-

(1) The Melayus are not united and that the Chinese have already controlled everything and is now aiming for absolute political power.
(2) The Chinese community is especially united, and would help each other economically.
(3) The Chinese are proud of their language and even Chinese who cannot read Chinese will still buy Chinese newspapers.
(4) The Chinese are actually very fortunate to be in Malaysia.
(5) The Melayu parties should unite to fight for the interests of their race that is increasingly being left behind.

I find it rather seditious, but I guess the government doesn’t think so, since no one was arrested and the DPM Muhyiddin Yassin said the media should not be prevented from expressing its views, even if there were parties that disagreed with the messages put across. I applaud the government for taking this open-mindedness stance and let this be a record the next time a blogger or an editor gets hauled up for reporting facts.

Now, in exercising my freedom of speech, I disagree whole heartedly with Zaini Hassan on point number 3. Firstly, no Chinese, or any other race or rational human, would be very clever to buy newspapers in a language they cannot read in. I do not have the statistical data to refute his claims but I do speak for common sense.

I agree with Zaini Hassan that the Chinese are united, but not in every facet of life and only because the UMNO putras made us this way. For some reason, the existence of Chinese in Malaysia is like the pimple on the arse for the UMNO putras: painful, annoying, wouldn’t go away fast enough…. We are constantly reminded that we’re pendatang (foreigners or immigrants) and that we’re a lucky lot to be able to plant roots in Malaysia.

I am a third generation Fujian Chinese in Malaysia. My great grandfather sailed the seas in search of better living conditions post war-torn China and worked as a sinseh. I do not know of any relatives in China and I do not have any other home other than the roof over my head in Malaysia. I have a blue IC like any other people born in Malaysia, but I’ve been told I’m only a second class citizen. Many a times the Chinese have been told to balik China (return to China).


(Shanghai) (Image courtesy of ayakovlev.info)

If “going back to China” would accord me with rights equal to any other citizens of China, I would gladly do so. But alas, I’m not sure if I could afford China. In the past 10 years or so, China had undergone huge economic progress, boasting billionaires, highways, skyscrapers and all that which is superior to the modern and democratic Malaysia. The cost of living in urban cities in China is easily double of KL. There’s no way I can afford China but if I can’t “go back to China” and Malaysia doesn’t want me, where can I go?

The Melayus are pendatang too, from Indonesia. They are not the original settlers of Malaysia. What right do they have to claim Malaysia for themselves only? For all the cries of balik China, we don’t ask you to balik Indonesia.

It’s so easy to play the blame game. When BN turned in a less than stellar performance at the recent Sarawak elections, it’s the Chinese’s fault. Former PM Mahathir Mohamad accused the Sarawakian Chinese of rejecting multi-racism. Utusan Malaysia’s Awang Salleh wrote that BN should punish the Chinese voters who did not support the ruling coalition. The Election Commission accused DAP of running a racist campaign in Sarawak. From what I can see, all the campaigning was largely anti-Pek Moh and cried for a change.



So yes, the Chinese are united because we want change.

We don’t get handouts from the government. We don’t get scholarships from MARA. We don’t get investment funds for the hardcore poor Chinese. In fact, like the Indians or the Yang Lain-lains, we don’t get a lot of things that should be distributed equally amongst all citizens of this country.

So what do we do? Sit and stew? Blog about how unfair the government is? Lead a protest group to the parliament? How will this change anything for the Chinese?

Life goes on. We just make the best out of it. The fact is, the Melayu will always form the majority and socio-economic policies will always veer in their favour. I don’t foresee anything to change too drastically.

Personally, my wish list is for a better education system. No more flip-flopping between Maths and Science in English or Bahasa Malaysia. The teachers of our future generations should be highly educated as well, and not the third or fourth grade graduates who could not qualify to go into science, medicine, engineering, legal or finance. Let those who wants an education, gets educated in what they want, here. Not every Chinese family can afford private education.

I want to see the wealth of the country being used in a rightful and economically beneficial manner. Monies sourced from Malaysian soil should be used in a way that would benefit the population as a whole. Channel money from super projects into the rural areas of East Malaysia that are still lacking in basic necessities such as electricity, running water and proper roads. Corrupt officials and politicians should be sacked and meted out just punishment. How can we trust a politician who is not honest to work for us?

Please stop portraying the Melayu as a weak race that needs help all the time. If you say that often enough, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Instead of telling them they are victims and the Chinese are largely at fault for their current situation, empower them to change and strive for the best life can offer. The government did not look out for us, and if we can survive, so can anyone in Malaysia.

It’s never about the Melayu vs the Chinese. We just want to be treated like citizens of this country, without any grades. And while you, dear PM Najib Razak, try to convince us 1Malaysia is the way to go, your little Napoleans are running amok creating havoc. I don’t know whether you approve any of it for you seem awfully quiet while your little dream is under siege.

Actually, you don’t need bother selling us 1Malaysia. The Melayus, Chinese, Indians, and Yang Lain-lains can live and work side by side. Our money could be better spent re-educating the UMNO putras instead. Stop their rant on Melayu vs Chinese or that the Melayu is a superior race, you would not have any real racism issue at hand.

I could go on and on, for the malaise that hounds Malaysia is never ending. I hope you take my constructive criticism constructively. After all, I also want only the best for my country.


Signed,
Pendatang who will vote for change

rewarding the undeserving

KUANTAN - Satu pertandingan motor bergerak perlahan bakal diadakan di Pahang, sebagai satu usaha Kerajaan Negeri mendidik golongan mat rempit agar berhemah di jalan raya.

Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob berkata, pertandingan itu bakal diadakan setiap bulan atau dua bulan sekali dan akan menawarkan hadiah sebanyak RM10,000 kepada pemenang.

"Dalam seminggu dua lagi, saya dan Exco Belia dan Sukan, Datuk Wan Adnan Wan Mamat serta Exco Pelancongan, Datuk Shafik Fauzan Sharif akan bertemu kumpulan mat rempit di negeri ini.

"Sepatutnya 200 orang nak datang (jumpa) tetapi telah meningkat kepada 1,500 mat rempit yang akan datang. Saya akan berjumpa dengan dia orang dan saya mungkin buat satu pertandingan jalan (lumba) motor perlahan.

"Siapa perlahan dapat hadiah. Kita buat dua kilometer (perlumbaan). Hadiah untuk johan mungkin RM10,000," katanya ketika berucap pada majlis Sambutan Hari dan Minggu Belia peringkat negeri di sini hari ini.

- SINAR HARIAN

If I am Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob, I would consider donating the monthly prize money to:

(a) the tractor driver who need RM30,000 to pay for this wife's chemotherapy, hormone and radiation therapy expenses. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and spinal metastases and has four school-going children. He works seven days a week and overtime just to make ends meet. To make a donation, you can write out a cheque to Perak MCA stating the name of Kong Yook Fah at the back, and mail it to the Perak MCA headquarters at No. 90-92, Tingkat Satu, Jalan Sultan Idris Shah, 30000 Ipoh; or

(b) help out the family in Sungei Petani that has not got enough food on their table. The four siblings who ate soil to stave off hunger are now being warded at the intensive care unit of a local hospital; or

(c) the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), who provide subsidised dialysis treatment to people from the lower income group. The NKF is a non-profit organisation that's in desperate need of funds as they will face a shortfall of RM12 million this year. Read about their plight here.


RM10,000 for a slow motorbike race? Seriously? You really think that this will somehow magically turn them useless mat rempits into good sons overnight? If you want me to go slow for the race, I will go slow la. But on normal days when there's no slow-slow race, I can do the rempit-rempit wat... no sweat.

Obviously, not much brain power was employed in coming up with that usaha kerajaan negeri. If you really mean to do something about this, then be serious! I suggest hauling off a couple of them (sebagai sample bagi yang lain cukup la) to do some hard labour work, shave their heads botak and kalau masih tak sesal, rotan sampai panggil mak seratus kali. You telling me this is less effective and not cheaper?

Mat rempits do not desperately need our help. They are a golongan sampah masyarakat who doesn't have more productive things to do. Provide them with programs to channel all those misdirected energy into, but don't buy them with money. As if there's not enough incentives going around.

RM10,000 can go a long way in helping those who really deserve it, like the ones I've mentioned above. Ironically, all 3 articles appear in newspapers on the same day. Here you have the kerajaan negeri that doesn't know how to spend the extra cash it has, and then you have people who desperately need money to sustain life.

What gives?

mad cows in Shah Alam

What?? There's a mad cow disease plague in Shah Alam?

Nono, just some people acting like cows, mad ones. Actually, I think it's rather offensive to the cows to use their namesake on those... those... bacteria, gunk in the fish pond, etc.

Huh? So why are there mad cows in Shah Alam?

On August 28th, a group of Malay-Muslim protestors, amid chantings of "Allahu Akbar" (God is great), marched to the Selangor state secretariat building with a severed cow's head, and left it at the entrance. It was said to be a warning and threat that there will be bloodshed if the state government proceed with the proposed relocation of the Sri Maha Mariamman temple from Section 19 to Section 23.

Ehh, why the cow's head?

As far as Khir Toyo is concerned, the cow's head was used because it is a stupid animal and it was brought to show that the state government had made a stupid decision. The cow also happen to be a sacred animal to the Hindus. But this has nothing to do with religious issues at all. Nope, none at all.

Wow. What are the residents so upset about?

Their gripes, in no particular order, includes the following:
1) They claim that noise from the temple will disrupt their daily lives and would disturb their praying (as opposed to the non-disrupting prayers blaring from every mosque and surau in the country five times a day?)
2) The building of a temple in a Muslim majority area is insensitive (with Shah Alam in itself being a Muslim majority city, I don't see how the state government have any alternative other than to move it out of Shah Alam)
3) They fear that the crime rate in their area would rise if the temple was built there (because a temple is not a place of worship and I can't be sure, but they're trying to say temples also houses criminals?)

Well then, let the temple stay where it is now.

Ah you see, the relocation was proposed because the residents of Section 19 claimed that the temple was not in the brochure when the housing project was launched, so they want it moved. It's quite ironic really when you look at the history of the temple. It was a place of worship for early Indian estate workers, and has been around for 150 years. The temple existed BEFORE the housing estate and they're making the temple that existed before them move away.

Now, there are talks that this is the doing of a certain political party, whose leader is passionately preaching 1Malaysia to air, in their misguided aim to discredit the administration of the state government. I laud them for being on the right track coz all we're waiting for is a repeat of the March elections, but on a bigger scale. To this I say thank you.

I'm glad the AG is supposedly charging those cow head protestors. I was under the impression that those people will go scott-free because you know, seeing it has been more than a week since the horde of Malay protestors took to the streets and an arrest has yet to be made, while 16 non-Malay people holding a peaceful candlelight vigil at Dataran Merdeka has been nabbed for illegal assembly. Just saying.

one step forward, two steps back

IT IS BAHASA AGAIN BUT MORE EMPHASIS WILL BE PLACED ON LEARNING ENGLISH

PUTRAJAYA: The Government has decided to reverse the Teaching of Mathematics and Science in English policy and revert to Bahasa Malaysia in national schools and Chinese and Tamil in vernacular schools.

We're moving backwards and I think it's stupid.

More emphasis would also be placed on English, including the hiring of retired teachers, assistant teachers for bigger classes and having additional periods.

This is all very good for the English language in general, but how often do we use "isosceles triangle" or "dichotomy" in an everyday sentence? How is this going to facilitate the learning of Science or Mathematics in an international environment?

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said this meant that from 2012, students in Years One and Four and Forms One and Four in national primary and secondary schools would study the two subjects in Bahasa Malaysia while those in vernacular schools would be taught in their mother tongue (Chinese and Tamil).

“We want to have a ‘soft landing’ which is why we will begin only in 2012. This will allow us time to make the necessary preparations,” he told a press conference at the ministry when announcing the reversal of the ETeMS policy or better known by its Malay acronym, PPSMI.

Asked why the ministry was not starting with a new cohort of Year One students, Muhyiddin who is Education Minister, said there was time to fine-tune the policy.

“There is still two-and-a-half years to prepare.

“Some members of the Cabinet made an observation that those in Form Four may be affected but that’s okay because we can still make changes so they continue their studies in two languages,” he said.

What's the hurry? The Form Four students are less than 2 years to SPM. Why make them study in 2 languages? Will the examinations be in Bahasa??

Muhyiddin said the ministry would do “whatever we can to make it as soft as possible for these students.”

“This is why the ministry is staggering the changes that will happen.

“It was quite sudden when the PPSMI was introduced previously,” he said.

The PPSMI policy was implemented in phases, beginning with Year One, Form One and Lower Six students in 2003, under former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s tenure.

The first cohort who completed six years of primary schooling and studied the two subjects in English received their Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) results last year.

Muhyiddin said that to ensure the implementation of the new policy did not affect the first batch (who started studying the two subjects in English in primary school in 2003), they would continue to study Mathematics and Science bilingually (in English and Bahasa Malaysia) until 2014.

He stressed that the reason for the reversal in policy was due to objective considerations and not political ones.

“It was based on empirical studies and other specialist reviews,” he said.

Based on studies conducted in 2008, he said, the ministry found that only a small percentage of teachers fully used English to teach the two subjects.

“On average, the percentage of those using English during Mathematics and Science periods was around 53% to 58%,” he said, adding that only a small number of teachers were proficient.

What he's basically saying is, our teachers are not qualified to teach in English. They can't speak English and therefore they can't teach in English. So, train better teachers! It's not fair that the teachers' shortcomings led to deprive the students of learning the Science and Mathematics subject in English. The faults of the elder led to the damning of the next generation?

Muhyiddin said studies carried out by local universities found that students’ mastery level of English during the entire policy was around 3% while the level among rural students was low.

“Based on these observations, the Government is confident that Mathematics and Science should be taught in languages understood by students, which is Bahasa Malaysia in national schools, and Chinese and Tamil in the respective vernacular schools,” he said.

Again, this is not about the English language. This is about scientific and mathematical terminologies. Please get this straight in that thick skull of yours. You can read novels after novels to improve English, but it won't improve the mastery of scientific and mathematical terminologies.

On whether the decision goes against Dr Mahathir’s vision, Muhyiddin said he and senior ministry officials had a three-hour meeting explaining the problems faced by those involved.

And exactly whose interests are involved? Have you consulted the public before making such a decision? Do these senior officials send their kids to public schools, or are they more lucky than most of us?


- THE STAR

Malaysia to ban yoga?

RULING ON YOGA THIS FRIDAY

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 (Bernama) -- The National Fatwa Council will come out with a ruling on yoga exercise on Friday, said Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) director-general Datuk Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz.

He said the ruling would be made after an in-depth study over six months was done and after the matter was referred to the council three times.

The ruling is related to the faith of Muslims who practised yoga, Wan Mohamad told reporters after officiating a seminar on 'akidah' (faith) at the Wilayah Persekutuan Mosque here today.

Recently, a lecturer, Prof Zakaria Stapa of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Islamic Studies Centre, advised Muslims who had taken up yoga to stop practising it out of worry it could deviate their belief.

Yoga, related to health, has been practised since 3,300BC and is said to help slow down aging, reduce risk of diabetes, asthma and heart-related diseases.

The daily exercise practice has many poses, positions and concentration techniques based on elements of Hinduism.

Also, Wan Mohamad said he regretted the attitude of Muslims in the country who were easily influenced by foreign cultures to the point of affecting their faith.

"When those involved take them as trends, such cultures can lead to a serious crime according to syariah law (Islamic law) and this can destroy the family institution," he said.

Wan Mohamed said the recent National Fatwa Council ruling to ban tomboyish behaviour, that is women looking like men whether in appearance or dressing, was to preserve the faith of Muslims.

He said syariah law can be brought to bear on Muslims who practise culture that can deviate their faith.

I think the National Fatwa Council has totally lost the plot. First, they ban tomboys. Now, they want to ban yoga. Are the faith of Muslims in this country is so fragile that they have to issue decrees to keep Muslims in line? Really now, don't the council have more pressing matters to attend to?

In all my time practising yoga, I have not prayed to any Hindu gods or deities, and neither have I chanted any mantras. Yoga, like any other form of exercise, helps release stress and improves health. It's a great alternative for people who are not keen on high impact sports such as running or tennis or whatever. Honestly, I don't see why they got their knickers in a knot over yoga.

And you know what else is funny? Now, certain Christian groups are jumping onto the bandwagon. They're like "Oo... now that you've mentioned it, we actually felt the same about yoga all along".

Such third world mentality. I pity my country.

another day in the drama that is Malaysia

RAJA PETRA, TERESA KOK, SIN CHEW REPORTER ARRESTED UNDER ISA

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 13 (Bernama) -- Blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, Seputeh member of parliament Teresa Kok and a Sin Chiew Daily News reporter were arrested Friday under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Raja Petra was picked up from his house in Sungai Buloh at 1.10pm, Kok in front of her condominium here at 11.20pm while the Sin Chew Daily News reporter, Tan Hoon Cheng, was picked up from her house in Bukit Mertajam in Penang at 8.30pm.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar confirmed the arrest three.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar earlier Friday said that Raja Petra was detained after it was ascertained that he could disrupt and threaten security and public order.

Syed Hamid said when contacted that the blogger's detention came in the wake of various statements published by Raja Petra in his blog "Malaysia Today", the latest being a commentary which allegedly ridiculed Islam and Prophet Muhammad.

Raja Petra reportedly incited Muslims with a commentary on the article "I promise to be a good, non-hypocritical Muslim" which contained sentences that ridiculed Muslims besides allowing a commentary which ridiculed Islam and Prophet Muhammad with reference to the article "Not all Arabs are descendants of the Prophet" published in the "Malaysia Today" blog.

Section 73(1) of the ISA permits the detention of an individual for up to 60 days.

In Penang, news of Tan's arrest prompted several political party leaders, reporters and photographers to gather outside the Seberang Perai Tengah district police headquarters where the reporter was taken to.

Tan's family members were also there but declined to be interviewed.

Tan is the reporter who wrote the news claiming that Bukit Bendera Umno division chief, Datuk Ahmad Ismail, had said in a ceramah during the Permatang Pauh by-election that the Chinese were mere "immigrants" in the country.

At 11.10pm, Tan was seen coming out of the Seberang Perai Tengah IPD accompanied by two policemen and entering a Proton Waja car, believed to be heading to the state police headquarters on the island.

The car was also escorted by two dark-tinted Proton Wira cars, and on passing by the group of waiting reporters, Tan managed to wave at them.

Bukit Mertajam MP Chong Eng, who was earlier allowed by police to enter the IPD to see the detained reporter but was not allowed to speak to her, told reporters that Tan who was not handcuffed, appeared calm but shed some tears.

Some 100 leaders and supporters of political parties, including from MCA, Gerakan and DAP gathered outside the police headquarters and lighted up candles as a sign of protest over the reporter's arrest.

Meanwhile, Raja Petra's wife, Marina Lee Abdullah, said 10 policemen came to the house and detained her husband at 1.10 pm and took him away at 1.50 pm.

Marina said the police also took several tapes and a computer from her husband's room.

Raja Petra was detained under the ISA in April 2001 for his involvement in the reformation movement and was held for 53 days at the Kamunting Detention Centre in Taiping, Perak.

How is it that the reporter who reported a racist statement made by Ahmad Ismail gets arrested under ISA, for being a threat to the nation, while that damned racist goes around the state holding press conferences defending his views, not being sorry about it, and refusing to apologise eventhough the Deputy PM had apologised on his behalf? And he gets invited to tea with the PM so that he could explain his actions.

WTF is going on???

Now they claim to arrest Tan as her safety was under threat. You mean that's what the ISA is for? If her life is in danger, shouldn't you, I dunno, send some police over to her house instead? Or maybe put her under some protection program? Honestly, I really wouldn't know. I'm not in the business of peace enforcement or provision of protection services.

Really now, do they somehow pity Anwar and try help out his crusade a little? I think it's working.

the wind of change blows straight

It's the kind of news that gives you goosebumps, gets you excited and yet apprehensive all at once.

The people have spoken. This is democracy at work.

Never has the ruling coalition lost so badly. Barisan has been denied two-thirds majority! What a landslide defeat.

One of the most surprising Barisan loss was the Kelana Jaya seat. Barisan fielded a strong contender, Lee Hwa Beng, against Loh "Accidental Hero" Gwo Burne and Billi "Dare To Fail Who Always Fail" Lim. I suspect Lim is just there for cheap publicity so that leaves us Lee and Loh.

And Loh won. Imagine that.

KJ is a Barisan safe seat. Lee was expected to beat his contender flat! Who has heard of the Loh feller before this? Mention the name Loh and they probably go "Loh who? Oh...the Lingam video guy ar? I see I see..." It is now said that if you nominated a kayu to run for that seat, the kayu would win. I think the residents of KJ didn't care for the name, face or colour of the Opposition's candidate as long as he is the Opposition. I have only seen one big poster of Nik Nazmi (candidate for DUN Seri Setia) around KJ.

In some ways, it seemed unfair that good guys like Lee, who does his job well, are being punished for the Government's mistakes. He has served Subang Jaya well and I'm certain he'll do the same for the KJ constituency. But like all Barisan MPs, he probably will just end up a yes-man. Look at Samy Vellu, one of the longest serving minister and who has a so-called voice. If he can't do much (or won't do much) about the demolition of the Hindu temples, what hope is there for Lee? Will he speak up? Will he be able to, loud and with conviction? I kinda like Lee. I just don't like the badge on his sleeve.

I hope the Opposition can get their act together. For one, nobody and much less the Opposition, saw this coming. For now, DAP, Keadilan and PAS will have to work together, as a team. What we have here is a very unlikely coalition with strong diverse belief system. I'm referring to PAS if you can't catch my drift. Keadilan won the most seats compared to the other Opposition parties and seemed the most neutral, and as such would probably be the leading party of the Opposition coalition. But I have my reservation. Keadilan was formed after the incarceration of Anwar Ibrahim, based on a more selfish agenda, I would believe. It'll be interesting to see their next move.

Irregardless of how all this will pan out in the end, at the very least we have shown the Government that we do have a voice and we are not afraid to use it. At least we have a chance with the Opposition. I mean, how much worse can they do, right?

how will you vote?

With the general elections just around the corner, it's hard not be caught up with the coffeshop talk sweeping across the nation. Suddenly everyone has an opinion on how to run the country, which is a refreshing change from the usual whatever-la attitude.

I asked every person I saw/spoke to this question: Government or Opposition? And the surprise is that the consensus is so extraordinary. People have made up their mind this early. Hmm.

So what gives?

Let's start with Abdullah Badawi, the fresh face after a long 22-year reign by Mahathir Mohamad. When Abdullah Badawi got elected as PM, he made a lot of promises. He promised to stamp out corruption and be more transparent, which are the biggest gripes I have under the former administration. For that, we gave him a clear majority but eh, what happened??

Dear Pak Lah, did you fell asleep for the last 4 years or so? Not only did nothing changed but I strongly believe things got worse! The economy has been mehh and all your visions, abandoned. There's talk that your son-in-law is da man behind the PM and he tends to make some remarkably stupid statements every time he opens his mouth, because y'know, he thinks he's all that. Bak kata pepatah, kerana setitik nila, rosak susu sebelanga. Mat Gemilang my ass.

You, Pak Lah, are getting senile. You deny one thing today but you do the opposite the next day. Case in point, when you denied rumours that you're getting hitched and when you denied the Parliament would be dissolved the following day. Could this be the reason why you forgot what you promised us?

Your politicians tell us, don't be so unhappy. At least we have racial harmony, we should be thankful for that. If hor, like what they say, racial unity is so important, why do we then have communal based parties? Why is there a need to identify my bangsa in various application forms? Just how real is this racial unity thingy you're selling us?

Got some more. Why are we not allowed to question the Dasar Ekonomi Baru (NEP)? Surely it is obsolete by now. The NEP has deviated so far from its goal of eradicating poverty irregardless of races. Read that again: IRREGARDLESS OF RACES. It now only benefit the Melayus and only a small section of elite Melayus for that matter.

Another sore point: UMNO. I'm sure many would agree UMNO is getting bloody cocky these days. UMNO is the base of Barisan and therefore the government. Everyone knows that. UMNO believes in upholding the special "birthrights" of Bumiputera. They call themselves a right-wing party. Then you have the live telecast of the UMNO general assembly, when the keris waving and kissing antics of a certain Hishammuddin Hussein Onn became legendary. In UMNO we also have politicians like Bocor MP Bung Mokhtar Radin and Close-One-Eye MP Mohd Said Yunus.

This next point, I'm very passionate about: Education. For someone like me, who's not a particularly brilliant student, my choices of studies in local universities would be somewhat limited. A non-Bumiputera can score 10As and yet be denied the field of study of his/her choice. How can things like this happen? Education should not be determined based on racial quotas. That's so wrong. I know I know, the quota system doesn't exist. Yeah right, at least not on paper. Let those who want learn get to learn what they want. And don't even get me started of the quality of local education. The sad state of the current education system is such that students can’t even think for themselves, much less string a proper sentence in English.

So now Pak Lah, do you see what I see? Do you understand why people are demanding for real changes? Why we have decided??

I love my country. And I love it enough to want it to change.

********

WHILE MALAYSIA FIDDLES, ITS OPPORTUNITIES ARE RUNNING DRY
Michael Backman

November 15, 2006

MALAYSIA'S been at it again, arguing about what proportion of the economy each of its two main races — the Malays and the Chinese — owns. It's an argument that's been running for 40 years. That wealth and race are not synonymous is important for national cohesion, but really it's time Malaysia grew up.

It's a tough world out there and there can be little sympathy for a country that prefers to argue about how to divide wealth rather than get on with the job of creating it.

The long-held aim is for 30 per cent of corporate equity to be in Malay hands, but the figure that the Government uses to justify handing over huge swathes of public companies to Malays but not to other races is absurd. It bases its figure on equity valued, not at market value, but at par value.

Many shares have a par value of say $1 but a market value of $12. And so the Government figure (18.9 per cent is the most recent figure) is a gross underestimate. Last month a paper by a researcher at a local think-tank came up with a figure of 45 per cent based on actual stock prices. All hell broke loose. The paper was withdrawn and the researcher resigned in protest. Part of the problem is that he is Chinese.

"Malaysia boleh!" is Malaysia's national catch cry. It translates to "Malaysia can!" and Malaysia certainly can. Few countries are as good at wasting money. It is richly endowed with natural resources and the national obsession seems to be to extract these, sell them off and then collectively spray the proceeds up against the wall.

This all happens in the context of Malaysia's grossly inflated sense of its place in the world.

Most Malaysians are convinced that the eyes of the world are on their country and that their leaders are world figures. This is thanks to Malaysia's tame media and the bravado of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. The truth is, few people on the streets of London or New York could point to Malaysia on a map much less name its prime minister or capital city.

As if to make this point, a recent episode of The Simpsons features a newsreader trying to announce that a tidal wave had hit some place called Kuala Lumpur. He couldn't pronounce the city's name and so made up one, as if no-one cared anyway. But the joke was on the script writers — Kuala Lumpur is inland.

Petronas, the national oil company is well run, particularly when compared to the disaster that passes for a national oil company in neighbouring Indonesia. But in some respects, this is Malaysia's problem. The very success of Petronas means that it is used to underwrite all manner of excess.

The KLCC development in central Kuala Lumpur is an example. It includes the Twin Towers, the tallest buildings in the world when they were built, which was their point.

It certainly wasn't that there was an office shortage in Kuala Lumpur — there wasn't.

Malaysians are very proud of these towers. Goodness knows why. They had little to do with them. The money for them came out of the ground and the engineering was contracted out to South Korean companies.

They don't even run the shopping centre that's beneath them. That's handled by Australia's Westfield.

Next year, a Malaysian astronaut will go into space aboard a Russian rocket — the first Malay in space. And the cost? $RM95 million ($A34.3 million), to be footed by Malaysian taxpayers. The Science and Technology Minister has said that a moon landing in 2020 is the next target, aboard a US flight. There's no indication of what the Americans will charge for this, assuming there's even a chance that they will consider it. But what is Malaysia getting by using the space programs of others as a taxi service? There are no obvious technical benefits, but no doubt Malaysians will be told once again, that they are "boleh". The trouble is, they're not. It's not their space program.

Back in July, the Government announced that it would spend $RM490 million on a sports complex near the London Olympics site so that Malaysian athletes can train there and "get used to cold weather".

But the summer Olympics are held in the summer.

So what is the complex's real purpose? The dozens of goodwill missions by ministers and bureaucrats to London to check on the centre's construction and then on the athletes while they train might provide a clue.

Bank bale outs, a formula one racing track, an entire new capital city — Petronas has paid for them all. It's been an orgy of nonsense that Malaysia can ill afford.

Why? Because Malaysia's oil will run out in about 19 years. As it is, Malaysia will become a net oil importer in 2011 — that's just five years away.

So it's in this context that the latest debate about race and wealth is so sad.

It is time to move on, time to prepare the economy for life after oil. But, like Nero fiddling while Rome burned, the Malaysian Government is more interested in stunts like sending a Malaysian into space when Malaysia's inadequate schools could have done with the cash, and arguing about wealth distribution using transparently ridiculous statistics.

That's not Malaysia "boleh", that's Malaysia "bodoh" (stupid).