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).

Vietnam, here i come!

I'll be on leave until next year! This is so cool!

Backpack filled to the brim (almost): Check
Roundtrip air tickets: Check
Passport: Check
Cash: Check
Panadol and charcoal pills: Check
Walking shoes: Check

I think I'm ready.

For some reason, I find that the more I travel, the lighter my backpack gets. There seemed to be less junk compared to what I had packed for Jogja, considering I'll be spending 11 days in Vietnam. I have enough change of clothes for 5 days so at some point there has to be a laundry day, or I shall be forced to wear my tees inside out.

We fly in to Hanoi. The plan is to travel down to Hoi An and maybe Ho Chi Minh City, if time permits, then back to Hanoi and poke around a bit. As usual, there's no fixed travelling plans so we'll see how it goes. Would definitely be more exciting if I could do a solo tour of Hanoi, as initially planned. Have always wanted to travel on my own to a foreign country where I can't speak the native tongue. Next time then.

I should not run out of cash this time. I hope I don't run out of cash.

Regretfully, I won't be spending xmas and new year's with family and friends this year. We have this tradition thingy. Every year, we gather all our friends and do dinner/something. It's always big, always good. Kinda sad I'll be missing out on it. Sniff. I don't care, you guys must do another gathering when I get back... OK ar. OK, set.

Haiya, will also miss out baby Ashton's full moon. Some kai-ma I'm turning out to be. Eh how come like gonna miss out on so many things wan. Eeee.... I better stop or I'll come up with a longer list.

This should be good la. Wish me luck! And pray I have enough money for souvenirs, hehe.

album plug: The Reminder

Lovin it: Feist and La Bodega's banana and fig smoothie. They go so well together on a summery day.



Leslie Feist, a Canadian indie folk singer and songwriter with (what I could best describe as) a quietly beautiful voice. She sings stories of love and relationships, such that are poetic and honest and painful in its simplicity. Although her music seemed to cross into various genres (from the jazzy sounding So Sorry to the gospel-like Sea Lion Woman), it doesn't come across as random. It took me two spins to be completely infatuated with this album. So besotted am I that I'm currently using I Feel It All as my caller ringtone ^__^

A very gorgeous spec video of one of my fav song, Brandy Alexander, which showcases the quietly beautiful quality of her voice that I spoke about. And I think it's very clever how she likens being so in love with someone to an addiction/dependence. So brilliant, so good. Simply love it!

won't you pose for my camera?

I still love my new-ish toy. I carry it everywhere I go now. We're inseparable.

Anyone who know me well know this: I have a strange penchant for whipping out my camera and angle for a shot the moment a plate of food settles on the table, forbading anyone to even touch a fork until I've got the perfect shot. My kind friends indulge their weird friend by staring at their food longingly until I'm done.

Saturday lunch @ Jarrod & Rawlins

It's actually work related but good food and good music somehow compensates it. Serves my favourite meal of the day, all day - breakfast. I must say the lighting at JR is excellent! Bright and soft. It's soooo hard to concentrate on work when we're happily singing along to The Temptations, Roy Orbison and Bob Marley.

I might come here again, with a novel or something.







Monday dinner @ Fukuya

The restaurant is breath taking. A long noren curtain hangs at the entrance and the usher will peel them open, revealing a huge courtyard with private dining rooms along the sides. It reminds me of those olden days houses of rich merchants. Can't believe there's such an exquisite place in the middle of town. Felt like I've accidentally stumbled into a different world.

Fukuya specialises in Kaiseki dining, which is a multi-course traditional Japanese cuisine. I gather it's something similar to haute cuisine. You can also get wagyu here.

Food is fresh and different, but the company for the night was the best! Here we are, this bunch of people I met from the Redang trip, each reminiscing about the crazy things we do in college/university. Conversation flowed easy. Can't remember the last time I had such a blast with people I've just met.









Maybe I'm getting more difficult to please as I age, but I find myself expecting more from both restaurants. Food's good but nothing to shout about. I can think of other places that serve the same quality of food at prices that would sear the pockets a bit bit less. I like Fukuya for its ambience.

Jarrod & Rawlins
No. 6, Lorong Dungun, Damansara Heights, 50480 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2093 0708

Fukuya
9, Jalan Delima, 55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2144 1022
Opening hours: Noon-2.30pm; 6.30pm-10.30pm; Closed on Sundays
Location map: http://www.fukuya.com.my/contact/img/map.pdf