Politika Malaysia

Malaysian Youths: Hoaring Girls & Ganglands for Boys

2009-04-27T13:49:00.006+08:00

Shocking? Yes, I am. A few articles in The Star revealed that boys, who form the majority of the Mat Rempit (menacing motorcyclists) get involved in illegal racing for the gains of free sex and mostly because they are "Bored".

Girls, are getting themselves involved in underaged sex with boys their age and even those older than them - to spite their parents, because they feel neglected by their parents.

So Malay-sian youths are now prostituting themselves out of anger, and joining gangs and being rebels without a cause.

Looking at the KL and PJ streets and malls, I would assume that this mainly involves the Malay community. We know that the Mat Rempit are Malay, not too sure about the girls, but looking at the street corner of Bukit Bintang and Sultan Ismail, you will see dozens of Malay girls crowding around with the boys. Mostly teens. Perhaps they are having sex elsewhere, and that is just a meeting point. Who's to say.

What is shocking is that the Police, enforcement agencies and government don't seem to take a hard stance on the following things:

1. Loitering
2. Racketing (Gathering in groups and being a public niusance)
3. Truancy

All they do, like in the articles below is claim not to know how to handle the problem, suggest that parents be involved etc. For God's sake, amend the laws and punish the youths as adults. Then punish the parents as well.

These things are rampant, and you can see teens everywhere, loitering, shouting at each other. Even getting into small scuffles on the street, which I've personally witnessed at the Maybank at the corner of Bukit Bintang.

These sorts of things shouldn't be allowed. All these Malay youths should be elsewhere, at home, studying or being useful. But no, parents have no control of their children these days. These days, punishment by caning in school is not allowed, and teachers fear the backlash of protective parents. Hence, the source of this social epidemic of problems Malaysia now has. Gone are the days when we were punished by the ruler or cane (in serious cases involving theft, fighting etc). Cruel? Not at all. Character building and instilling discipline.

Both of which are seriously lacking in teenagers today. They are increasingly defiant of their parents and therefore teachers as well. They find their social circle of bad hats in school and create problems. This eventually escalates to become more serious, hence the Mat Rempit, gangsterism, and "loose" girls.

Some Malaysian parliamentarians will say that all this is because of the negative influence of western culture, propogated by the media. I say, this is wrong. The problem here is that the education system has no way of teaching these kids, and does not sufficiently educate teenagers that there is a consequence for socially unacceptable behaviour.

In the US, drivers education is taught in school, and horrid pictures of those who are without limbs, dead in their vehicles are shown. To shock the teens into understanding that this is what it looks like, when you don't follow the rules. Similar things can be done to scare them into following the law.

Imagine, boys join the Mat Rempit because they are bored? Good gosh, where are the parents? Where is enforcement? They should without question be jailed in a juvenile home. See how many kids will do such things then. But they are not, they are allowed to roam free.

Girls, having sex to spite their parents? What kind of idiotic logic is that? Risk getting aids? An STD? and not treasuring their virginity?

No amount of religion will help people like this. Teaching them religion will not help. They might still be bored. Shock them into seeing what can happen if they continue, and repremand them for it, jail them in a juvenile hall for months or years and see if they are still "bored" enough to endanger their lives and the lives of others.

Khairy Jamaluddin made an idiotic statement once, and promoted the Mat Rempit. He said they can be the eyes and ears of the police. He said they should have a race track to race their motorbikes.

But En. Khairy, with the Oxford education, which part of his brilliant plan realises that these Mat Rempit have ILLEGALLY MODIFIED motorbikes? Is Khairy endorsing that Illegal Modifications are acceptable, and no longer illegal? He must be, because, how are these Mat Rempit going to get themselves from their home to the race track? Surely, they are not rich enough to tow their illegally modified motorbikes on the back of a pickup truck. The last I recall, an illegally modified motorbike is not deemed to be road worthy.

Silly man. Even more silly are those who made him UMNO Youth Chief. So, Khairy is partly to blame for this menace. He supports it.

The only way to stop this menace is by using jail and caning. The law needs to be amended to suit the times. Singapore used the death penalty for kidnapping when it was rampant in the 60s and 70s. Philippines uses the death penalty for rape - till today.

Malaysia is becoming a hole for the ill intentioned, and the government and police don't do a darn thing about it. Perhaps hudud that will come in under PAS rule would be good to manage these people. Perhaps it would be a good thing to support PAS to rule the country. Unless Barisan UMNO can really take charge and show that they are serious about turning things around - namely safety and security.

I guess if some drivers are bored, maybe they should take out their frustrations by knocking down a Mat Rempit or two, just for fun. Just like how they assulted a deaf mute girl at a petrol station - for fun.

Kill them all - is all I can say. These spawn from hell should die a death befitting a cockroach.

Study: Boredom revving up two-wheeled menace

GEORGE TOWN: Boredom has been cited as one of the main reasons why youths become Mat Rempit.

This was a finding made by a government institute’s research on Mat Rempit. Forty-eight per cent of youngsters polled cited boredom when asked why they became Mat Rempit who ride recklessly, often endangering other road users.

Penang Deputy CPO Senior Asst Comm I Datuk Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah said the Youth Development and Research Institute’s study showed that 38% of the Mat Rempit polled said they indulged in such activities to fill their spare time while 27% cited peer pressure.

“The research also showed that 87% of them are aged between 14 and 25,” said SAC I Tun Hisan when opening the 39th Police Cadet Corps parade at the Federal Reserve Unit field in Air Itam here.

There were also 2,218 crime cases involving 3,725 students last year, of which 3,629 were between the ages of 13 and 18, he said, adding that there was an alarming increase in juvenile delinquency in the state. In 2007, there were 1,936 cases involving 3,383 students of which 3,241 were aged between 13 and 18.

These students were linked to serious cases like murder, rape and break-ins, he added.
He also said the Police Cadet Corps could become the eyes and ears of the police to help counter social ills among their peers.

He said the uniformed body had grown tremendously from an initial 1,960 members 39 years ago to 89,110 members nationwide now.

SAC I Tun Hisan also presented certificates to 15 cadets from the state who excelled in their studies.

Monday April 27, 2009
Sex affair just to spite parents
By ANDREW SAGAYAM

KUALA LUMPUR: More underage girls are having sex to get back at their parents for neglecting them.

This startling information was revealed by police who said that the girls had initially claimed they were raped but later admitted to have consented to sex with their boyfriends.

Statistics compiled since 2005 showed that the number of girls below 16 years old who are sexually active has been increasing every year.

The study also revealed that an alarming 60% of girls between the ages of 13 and 15 had sex because they “wanted revenge” on their parents. Sex with a girl aged under 16 is classified as statutory rape under the Penal Code.

The girls, largely from urban areas, confessed that they had befriended men as they were angry with their parents for subjecting them to emotional and physical “abuse”.

While some had sex with men just to get back at their parents, others were coerced into it by the very men they had turned to for solace, said Asst Comm Suguram Bibi Munshi Deen, head of the Sexual Abuse and Children’s Division at Bukit Aman.

Noting that teen rape had risen since 2005, she said that the victims – mostly from cities and major towns in Selangor, Johor and Kedah – usually ended up pregnant.

“We are not pointing a finger or exposing the private lives of families but the public must realise what is happening,” said ACP Suguram Bibi.

“Children, teenagers and youths are our future leaders and we as adults, parents or guardians must guide and instil in them right and proper values.”

Statistics from 2005 to 2008 showed 75% of the rape victims were below 18 years old and at least 60% of the girls were below 16. Boys below 18 made up between 8.4% and 13.6% of the “rapists”.

The study also showed that teenagers got bored easily, craved attention or wanted the freedom to express themselves.

ACP Suguram Bibi said parents should educate sons to respect the opposite sex and not take advantage of them.

“We also found that some boys were challenged by their peers and forced to commit sex acts to prove that he was one of the gang and to stop being ridiculed.”

She advised parents to understand the law better and welcomed inquiries from anyone on investigation procedures in sexual assault cases.

Mat Rempits Terrorise & Rule the Streets in PJ, KL and more

2009-04-22T21:19:00.008+08:00

In the recent week, we have read disturbing news of Mat Rempit attacking an innocent mother and child, a man on the street and in the not so distant past, they attacked a Filipino lady in Kelana Jaya, grabbing her by her hands and dragging her on the road.

For those foreigners who do know know what Mat Rempits are, they are basically gangsters who ride around on small cc. motorcycles in convoys. They have a tendency of being violent and belligerent with absolutely no respect for the law. You can liken them to the Hells Angels or small time Yakuza. Except, they are usually small and scrawny.

They should be outlawed. But the Police make endless excuses and the Parliamentarians are too lenient in the establishment of laws to protect the innocent and punish these gangsters.

In the article below, you will read that the Police are unable to identify who is a Mat Rempit. What utter nonsense. These people are on the streets mainly at night, riding in convoys, easily identified by the illegal modifications, and loud noise from their mufflers. You'll know them when you see them, their attitude on the road says all. In any other country, the patrolling police will see good reason to stop the convoy and have them all screened for drugs and alcohol. But this is Malaysia, people make excuses to do less work, the Police are no different. Hence the article below.

So which government department is responsible for what happened to that poor mother and child? That poor man? Or the Filipino lady in Kelana Jaya?

Malaysia is becoming a dangerous place to live. Tourism numbers are up, according to our ministries. But many don't see the tourists. Well, considering that Malaysia has been deemed to be #2 in crimes against women, and crime is rising, without any effort to keep it at bay. I, as a Malaysian wouldn't encourage tourists, as they are usually the main targets. We have had Chinese women raped, Korean women raped in their hotels, numerous people who have had taxi drivers extort money from them, and so much more. I never encourage my friends to visit Malaysia, I would feel immensely responsible for any harm that may come to them.

So, what is the solution? We can name a few:
1. Outlaw street racing. Make it punishable by no less than 5 years jail and 10 strokes of the cane
2. Outlaw illegal modifications to motorcycles & cars as well. Make it punishable by the consfication of the vehicle and a RM20,000 fine. If the fine is too much to pay, a jail term of 2 years
3. List and publish the allowed and also the illegal modifications, like the LTA of Singapore and make clear the laws
4. Limit the speed of all motorcycles below 500cc to 50km/h, as they do in Britain. Speed is limited by only having 2-3 gears on the motorcycle. Besides, it is unsafe to travel any faster on what is deemed to be a bicycle with a 2 stroke engine.
5. Outlaw people from riding and driving in convoys of more than 5 vehicles. Giving the police to lawfully stop and search the person and vehicle.
6. Road bullying should be punishable by no less than 2 years jail, per offence.
7. Offending parties should be stripped of their drivers license for no less than 1 year on the first offence, and 2 years on the second offence. They will be required to retake their exams from the theory level, and will be required to perform double the amount of practical practice sessions prior to the exams
8. The current basic theory exam paper is too simple. The JPJ must look to review it and bring it up the the standards that are practiced in Singapore. Road safety and defensive driving are absent from the textbook.

Perhaps if all this is too harsh, as deemed to be by our very comfortable lawmakers. Then, the fine should be no less than RM10,000 on the first offence and mandatory jail for the subsequent offences.

The government is doing too little to address this menace. The Mat Rempit are dogs, bastards and "anak sundal". They are a menace to society, and if the police doesn't do something soon. Soon, Malaysia will find itself with less tourists, scared citizens, and perhaps some citizens who will take the law into their own hands.

The police make excuses all the time, for their failure to protect the people. Yes, they cannot be everywhere. But they certainly can make a concerted effort with other departments to catch these robbers and rapists. Soon, you will find the Mat Rempit abducting and raping women. Watch and see. They are already very bold. Bold enough to attack and rob people at Petrol Stations. It is a matter of time before they become more violent.

I wonder what Khairy Jamaluddin, now UMNO Youth Chief has to say about these people he once endorsed. He called on them to be the eyes and ears of the police. Right! Look at them now, they are bloody animals, and Khairy, YOU are at fault for encouraging this menace. Clean up this mess you spoiled brat!

To all other Malaysians, I say, live not in fear, and be prepared to use your cars to run them over if you are attacked. They get away all the time, they will mame you if they had the chance. Show no mercy, take them down - not kill them, and report it to the police. Some keep weapons of sorts in their cars, it isn't a bad idea these days.

Saturday April 18, 2009

Mat Rempit gang up to rob
By STEVEN DANIEL

KUALA LUMPUR: Mat Rempit showed their ruthlessness when they pounced on their victims and bashed one up in two separate incidents within 24 hours.

In the first incident that happened at Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Damansara Utama at 6.20am on Thursday, a 51-year-old housewife was walking her 16-year-old son to the bus stop to wait for the schoolbus when they were approached by at least 40 Mat Rempit on 20 motorcycles.

They surrounded the terrified mother and son before pushing the boy away and grabbing her gold bracelet worth around RM1,000. Fortunately both did not suffer injuries.

The victim in the second case was not so lucky as he was bashed up with helmets and sticks before being relieved of his wallet and two mobile phones.

The 27-year-old man was re-turning home to Sentul after work at 4.30am yesterday and had stopped in front of the National Museum near Jalan Travers to make a phone call.

He was reported to have noticed at least 15 motorcycles speeding past him and did a U-turn upon seeing him.

The Mat Rempit members beat him up with sticks and helmets before robbing him. The victim suffered bruises to his face and back.

Brickfields OCPD Asst Comm Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid who confirmed both incidents urged witnesses to both incidents to SMS to Rakan Cop or call the police at 03-2115 9999.

Wednesday April 22, 2009

When a Mat Rempit is not a Mat Rempit
By RASHITHA A. HAMID

KUALA LUMPUR: The Mat Rempit are a feared lot. They are a nuisance to fellow road users, they participate in illegal street racing and perform dangerous stunts, such as the wheelie, superman (lying flat on the seat), and scorpion (standing on the seat with one leg during a wheelie).

But who is a Mat Rempit? Even the police don’t seem to know.

With the Mat Rempit linked to criminal activities such as gangsterism, gang robbery, street fighting, assault, vandalism, theft and road-bullying, it seems they may not be Mat Rempit after all.

Federal Criminal Investigation Department Director Comm Datuk Seri Bakri Zinin said if a person, regardless of race, age or position in society are involved in criminal activities, they are criminals. The same goes to the Mat Rempit.

He said there are several reasons why youngsters are involved in illegal street racing.
The youngsters claim there is no proper place for them to relax during their spare time.
“They told us (police) that wherever they go they have to pay; and that is why they are involved in illegal racing, just to release tension and relax,” he said, adding that they don’t have to pay for illegal racing.

However, the police are against the Mat Rempit especially when it comes to public safety.
This is because they are involved in criminal activities, causing injuries and even deaths to their victims in some cases.

Comm Bakri said it was very difficult to track down these people as the police could only take action according to the law.

“We can’t be arresting all the Mat Rempits as not all of them are involved in criminal activities.
“When we arrest them, they admit being involved in illegal racing and not in criminal activities. And we don’t have proof that they are criminals,” he added.

He urged the public to furnish the police with information to eradicate the nuisance created by Mat Rempit.

Comm Bakri also urged parents to be aware of their children’s movements.

“Parents play a very important role in educating their children,” he stressed.

In a statement released by Bukit Aman yesterday, it was stated that 77 operations were conducted against the Mat Rempit since January with 181 of the bikers arrested.

UMNO Double Standards: Ali Rustam OUT, Khairi & Khir IN

2009-03-18T00:56:00.004+08:00

Datuk Kadar Shah was correct in his accusation that UMNO practices double standards.

While Mohd Ali Rustam has been barred from contesting the Deputy President's post, his predecessor Isa Samad was suspended for 6 years. Frankly, it's the same offence, a precedence has been set and Ali Rustam should be suspended for 6 years also. Better, if UMNO were really serious about stamping out money politics, they would sack Ali Rustam and the others like Khairi and Khir, sending the message that UMNO has no place for the power hungry and crooked politicians with low morals.

Instead, for the same offence, Khairi, the son in law of PM Dollah, gets off with a warning. Why? Is it because he is the son in law of the Prime Minister? For that he has a special "get out of jail" immunity pass?

It's absurd and an abomination!

Khairi should be sacked, along with Ali Rustam, and later charged with criminal proceedings by the MACC. Why are they being spared? A bribe is a bribe, call it money politics, vote buying or whatever, it's an offence.

We musn't allow people of such poor moral qualities to lead our people and nation. What example do they set for our children, our young aspiring Malays? It only aims to make them more lazy by way of them thinking of the easier and quicker way to get rich. Not by honest hard work with the gifts that Allah has given us.

However, throughout history, UMNO seems to condone senior party members like Muhammad Taib (Vice President) who was caught with a briefcase full of money in Australia. Now, he is back, contesting for the Deputy President's post like this blemish never existed.

Everyday I pray that our country doesn't allow itself to be further diminshed by these greedy people whose main aim is to enrich themselves and not the nation they are supposed to.

Khairy maintains innocence, Khir Toyo relieved
By Lee Wei Lian

KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 — Umno Youth chief hopeful Khairy Jamaluddin has maintained he is innocent of breaching any campaign rules although he accepted the party’s disciplinary board’s decision to give him a warning.

The Umno Youth deputy chief claimed he is a victim of a political agenda to discredit him and expects more such attacks in the days ahead in te run-up to the party elections on March 25.
”The important thing is that I am still able to contest,” Khairy told The Malaysian Insider, saying he is focused on the upcoming elections.

Asked whether his rivals had initiated the charges, the first term Rembau MP said: “I don’t want to accuse anyone. But there is a political agenda behind it.” The others running for the post are Jerlun MP Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir and former Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Khir Toyo.

Khairy, who is also the son-in-law of outgoing party president and prime minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was confident the warning would not affect his chances but will take steps to counter any anticipated attacks.

“This is just the beginning,” he said.

Meanwhile, Khir was relieved that he had been cleared of all charges by the disciplinary board which announced its decisions today.

“I want to thank the disciplinary board for the decision,” Khir told The Malaysian Insider but declined comment whether he felt the charges were politically motivated.

“I hope they (Umno delegates) can think of what happened to me,” he said, adding he believed he still has a fair chance of becoming Umno Youth chief.

However, the Umno disciplinary committee’s decisions, including to bar Datuk Seri Ali Rustam from running for the deputy presidency, did not go down well with some members.

Muar Umno division committee member Datuk Kadar Shah Tun Sulaiman said the disciplinary board was not consistent and practised double standards.

“Why was Isa Samad suspended for six years but no such penalties were imposed on those found guilty this time?” he told The Malaysian Insider.

Tan Sri Isa, a former party vice president, was suspended in 2005 for money politics. His suspension has been lifted.

Kadar Shah says that he is giving the disciplinary board seven days to respond to a letter he delivered to them this afternoon about his dissatisfaction with their efforts to root out money politics — failing which he will refer the matter to the Registrar of Societies.

Kadar Shah had threatened on March 5 to file an injunction to stop the Umno general assembly later this month and said that he may still do so if the disciplinary board does not respond to his letter.

There has been a sense of unhappiness among party members over the charges brought against Ali as it is seen to be a political ploy to disqualify him from the race for the deputy presidency.
Ali was widely perceived to be a front runner for the post and today’s decision appears to benefit his rival, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

One Umno member told The Malaysian Insider, “This is a sad day for Umno as Datuk Seri Ali Rustam is someone that you can count on to deliver and is a very down to earth person. Hopefully, he stays the course and fights on within Umno as he is always a party-man.”

Khir Cries Foul - The Smearer Gets Smeared Himself

2009-03-13T23:16:00.003+08:00

Everyone who knows about Khir Toyo, knows that he had his hand in the cookie jar on numerous occassions. Regardless of whether there is proof of it, doesn't matter. There are some politicians that people just know - are dirty.

As Menteri Besar of Selangor, Khir Toyo had approved numerous hillside developments to take place. Even when Mahathir was in power and mandated that the development should stop, after he took a helicopter ride over the Ampang area, the development stopped for a while, but resumed no more than 6 months later.

The result? Catastrophy. Numerous landslides, lives lost, homes lost and people left to deal with the mess. But Khir Toyo would appear suddenly to show sympathy for the people and make all sorts of promises. But, the work will continue eventually.

He made the people of Selangor suffer, today, Selangor is congested, there isn't any proper zoning, and there are condominiums everywhere.

But when you question Khir Toyo or the Municipal councils on this, they say, it's private property and they have no jurisdiction on the developer. So, the people are left in a lurch and have to live with it - helplessly watching their investment be devalued.

Khir Toyo has been accused of all sorts of things, striking deals with the developer is one, surely, there is a kickback somewhere in some form. Who's to know? But we can all guess it's true, because there have been so many inconsistencies with Khir Toyo, it doesn't make sense, unless he is corrupt.

Yes, there is no proof. But it doesn't mean that it isn't true either.

Khir is now getting a taste of his own medicine. Poor Elizabeth Wong was victimised, and Khir made silly statements. Perhaps that now he is being accused of all these wrongdoings, Khir Toyo should not contest as a candidate and resign from UMNO. After all, that was what he implied in the case of Elizabeth Wong. So why shouldn't it apply to Khir?

Khir Toyo talks big, and acts holier than thou. Now, he faces his own smear campaign, so let's see whether he has enough integrity to stand by his own convictions. No? Then he should be rejected.

UMNO has a host of better candidates and of a higher caliber than a failed Menteri Besar who lost Selangor to the opposition - a historical first.

People rejected Barisan and UMNO in Selangor because they were feeling the pinch and getting the short end of the stick because of the corruption that was happening in the state.

UMNO delegates should realise this and reject Khir Toyo. As Youth Chief, you can see the quality of person you are putting before young and aspiring Malays. Let not he be the example that we set for our children.

On the most recent inquisition into Khir's travels. It isn't so much about where he went (as he defends it below), though we're not sure what business he brought from Milan or Paris to Selangor. It sounds more like a lavish holiday. The bigger question is, how did could he spend the taxpayer's money in such great amounts for so few trips? But it isn't surprising that Khir Toyo would abuse state funds.

If you break down the amounts, you will see that it is impossible to rack up those amounts in travel expenses, unless he was living over and beyond the norm.

Again, this questions Khir's integrity and responsibility as a Minister. If he had abused and spent the people's money in that manner, it is quite possible that he could have been irresponsible in a variety of other ways, perhaps ways that aren't so obvious.

Khir should be investigated by the MACC, and they should nail him for every penny he has syphoned from the people of Selangor - who need more police stations, better infrastructure, better roads and so on.

Khir claims plot smearing him before Umno polls

SHAH ALAM, March 13 - Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo, who is contesting the Umno Youth chief post, claims there is a secret plot aimed at tarnishing his reputation in the run up to the party polls later this month.

He said the group, masterminded by someone from within Umno, collaborated with the opposition leader to attack him during the State Legislative Assembly sitting which began on Tuesday.

Mohamad Khir said most of the allegations against him such as the issue over the purchase of real property in Mecca in 2007 and the latest, the alleged use of funds belonging to a state government subsidiary company to buy a Range Rover costing RM500,000 for use by his wife, Datin Seri Zaharah Kechik, were only raised in the Assembly sitting.He said: “If all the allegations were true, why attack me in the State Assembly? If there is any wrongdoing, report directly to the MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission)”.

Even the total cost of his air tickets for overseas travels from the year 2000 until now had also been raised in the State Assembly sitting, he said.

The former Selangor menteri besar said although the total cost of his air tickets for the overseas trips amounted to RM360,000 for the eight-year period, the trips were made to attract foreign capital to the state amounting to between RM48 and RM50 billion during the period.

Asked on his chances in the Umno election, he said: “I still have a fair chance.” - Bernama

Khir Toyo Took Selangor Taxpayers For A RM349K Ride

2009-03-12T15:12:00.006+08:00

Here is an article carried by The Star today. Commentary will follow soon.

Published: Thursday March 12, 2009 MYT 3:04:00 PM
Khir Toyo travel costs exceeded RM300,000

SHAH ALAM: The overseas air travel costs for former Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo from September 2001 till January 2008 amounted to RM349,134 and involved 21 trips.

Among destinations visited by Khir were London, Bangkok, Beijing, Los Angeles, Dubai, Osaka, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Paris, Perth, Milan, Venice and Amsterdam.

Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said the statistics were from air travel warrants obtained from the Office of the Selangor Mentri Besar.

Costs like hotel, food and drinks and other costs were still being tallied by the Office of the Selangor Mentri Besar, he said in reply to a question by Mohamad Azmin Ali (PKRBukit Antarabangsa) in the State Assembly on Thursday.

Azmin had asked for the costs of the mentri besar's overseas travels from 2000 till now and the name of the travel agent that arranged the trips.

Abdul Khalid said the travel agent was Green Adventure Holidays Sdn Bhd and that the involvement of other agents was still being looked into by the Office of the Selangor Mentri Besar.

In reply to a supplementary question by Mohamd Azmin if there were any family ties between Khir and Green Adventure, Abdul Khalid said his office had no proof of any ties.

He said the state government had now appointed Tourism Selangor Sdn. Bhd to manage travel for the state government. However, to avoid the practice of a monoply the state government welcomed the participation of other travel agents.

Added Abdul Khalid: "Till now, we find that most of the state executive councillors were inclined to buy tickets online especially from AirAsia as this was cheaper than going through travel agents." - Bernama

Down with English! Malay Pride Must Come First!

2009-03-09T00:39:00.009+08:00

The fear of our Malay brothers and sisters today is that of their faith in Islam and Malay culture, that, to them, is easily eroded by virtue of teaching math and science in English - in the case of Malay culture. The matter of faith in our religion is a matter for a separate discussion.

Just over the weekend, thousands (reported after the article below) of Malay students, including that of the Opposition (PKR and PAS), staged a massive protest in KL. All in the name of stopping the government's policy of teaching math and science in English. Their reasons: because it will erode our cultural identity, or it will make us respect English more than our own mother tongue.

Goodness gracious. How small minded can some people be?

How on earth can a language erode one's own culture? A language is a means of communication. By virtue that English has been chosen by History to be the standard means of international communication, be it in politics or business, it is therefore important.

Respecting one language over another doesn't make any sense either. This Abu Qassim Nor Azmi, Student Union leader, speaks of this and obviously doesn't know what he is talking about - it sounds idiotic and stupid. I wonder what sort of education he has been receiving. If you watch the video below, you will hear Abu Qassim speak, you will then realise why it is important that English is emphasized in Malaysia. The standards have dropped far below what is needed to be proficient to communicate effectively in this increasingly Globalised world that we live in. The young university scholar speaks like a primary school boy, unable to articulate himself properly and basically speaking in broken English. He seems to say that he has grown accustomed to speaking English, even outside class, however, it appears that he doesn't do it very well.

If my Malay Muslim culture, ingraned into me from birth to adulthood is so easily shaken and eroded by learning a language that would help me communicate effectively in this world, ultimately contributing to the quality of life I will have, then I must be a very weak person.

I would only fear these things if I were of weak character and didn't have any faith in the strength of my principles that are driven by the cultural conditioning that I grew up with.

Culture is more than just a language my brothers and sisters, it is our way of life. And so what if we speak a different language at the workplace? Or even at home? Does that make us less Malay? Less Muslim?

Many of my father's friends who are from a different generation of Malays were brought up with the English language - they are no less Malay than anyone else. Some of them even attended Christian Missionary schools, they were never forced to say the Lord's Prayer, but stood in respect when it was said. Some even know the exact words to the prayer too. They are still devout Muslims who attend Friday prayers and their faith hasn't wayned.

So what is all this protesting for?

Here are some of the facts of how serious the situation is.

1. Proficiency of English in Malaysia is at its worst. It has been going downhill since Anwar Ibrahim was Education Minister, when we came up with the failed Bahasa Baku.
2. Students in Primary school upwards are being taught by young teachers, who themselves are not proficient in the language. My nephews and nieces have often corrected their teacher in matters of pronunciation and grammar.
3. Malaysia used to produce top notch scholars from University Malaya, which in the 60s was highly regarded. Today, our crown jewel has fallen to the rank of over 300. A degree from this university has little value outside Malaysia, for graduates seeking post graduate studies in the West, will need to prove themselves again by retaking certain undergraduate subjects, one of them is English.
4. Malaysia was aiming to be the Cyber centre of South East Asia, and over a decade has passed, with little to prove. Though it has never been said openly, the problem with multinational corporations is that of the quality of human resources available. They have since moved on to form their Outsourcing centres in Philippines and India. Why? Because of proficiency in IT and more specifically for the Philippines, English - spoken and written.

Malaysia with it's vastly Malay language curriculum which is forced upon every ethnic group, has failed to ensure that people are properly educated and proficient in a language that is used to communicate with the rest of the world. English is the official business language of the world. Surely, you won't try educating a Mainland Chinese or a Japanese person in Malay for your convenience of communication.

The government is right in taking these initial measures to restore the standard of English to what it was before.

Take for example the Indians and the Pakistanis, they speak English fluently, so much so, that they can convince most westerners that they can do everything and anything. We all know this. Are they any less Indian or Pakistani? Have they cast out their Caste system? Have they stopped worshipping their Hindu Gods or Allah? No. Have they forgotten their provincial cultures and the crafts that are unique to their cultural heritage? No again.

So my dear brothers and sisters, why so much fear over such matters? Think before you act, do not act in haste and take a step back and see the broader picture.

If you feel that your Cultural heritage is being attacked, remember that culture is instilled into you by your parents, how well they have done it will be evidenced by how you, as an adult choose to live your life. How you, as an individual decide what is important to you. And it certainly has nothing to do with learning how to speak the one language that is understood the world over.

Do not fall prey to the acts and support of some politicians, in this case PAS and PKR. They are simply buying political capital by appearing to support you and your cause.

Malaysia is regressing. This latest protest, in the large numbers that it attracted is one that is of great concern. It appears that the vast number of ignorant people in Malaysia are growing, and they appear to be mostly Malay. It is very sad, very sad for us as Malays.

By this act of ignorance, we only shame ourselves and our culture. Surely it isn't part of our culture to live in our little world where Malay is an effective means of communication among 27 million people.

If the BN and the King doesn't come out to make a strong statement on the matter, and to help the people understand, it will mark the midpoint of Malaysia's regression.

To regain our footing in English proficiency to what it was previously, it will take more than just a couple of generations. May God help our children and help them forgive us for making their future a little more bleak in this competitive world.

Hundreds of Malaysians stage language protest
By Melissa Goh, Channel NewsAsia Malaysia bureau chief
07 March 2009 2238 hrs

Video
Hundreds of Malaysians stage language protest

KUALA LUMPUR: Hundreds of Malaysians, mostly Muslim Malays, had taken to the streets to protest against the use of English to teach Mathematics and Science in schools.

Police fired water canons and tear gas to disperse the crowd as they marched to the National Palace in downtown Kuala Lumpur despite a police barricade, in an attempt to reach the National Palace.

The protest was led by opposition Islamic party president Abdul Hadi Awang, flanked by national laureate, A Samad Said.

Their aim was to deliver a request to the king to change teaching of Mathematics and Science from English back to Malay language.

The switch in languages made by the government six years ago as part of an effort to lift the standard of spoken and written English among students.

The demonstrators claimed that the move has failed and is leading to an erosion of the Malay cultural identity.

Abu Qassim Nor Azmi, of the National Union of Malaysian Muslim Students said: "Now we talk in English when we go to the canteen, and when we go out, we continue to talk in English. This will lead to a crisis of identity, we will repect English more than our own mother tongue."

The police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, but many re-grouped despite heavy rain.

The inspector general of police lashed out at the protestors for being what he called "demo crazy".

More than 120 were later detained for questioning.

The protestors maintained that they are apolitical and their aim is to protect the Malay language which is the national language guaranteed under the federal constitution, but the opposition Pakatan Rakyta alliance is capitalising on the rising public resent towards the UMNO led government.

Mohd Saifullah Zulkifli, an Opposition Youth Leader charged that UMNO is setting a very bad record even though they are supposed to represent the Malays.

Prime Minister designate Najib Razak had appealed to the country's predominantly Malay population not to be overly obsessed in protecting the Malay language.

He assured them the Malay language will always remain the premier official laguage in Malaysia.

Opposition MP Attacked by UMNO Youth Members at Parliament

2009-02-26T21:48:00.004+08:00

Gutter politics has now evolved into gangsterism.

22 UMNO Youth members allegedly decended upon an old, crippled and wheelchair bound DAP Minister of Parliament. Karpal Singh was confronted and assulted by 22 men claiming to be Selangor Umno Youth members, as they grabbed Karpal Singh by his tie and jacket at the tower block entrance of Parliament.

(Some may challenge the word assult. The definition of assult is when someone or people physically touch someone in a manner or with intentions of intimidation.

He was saved from further assult by his fellow colleagues and brought into the buildling.

Apparently, when Karpal shouted for help from the nearby Parliament guards, they only said: "We only jaga (look after) inside (Parliament), not outside."

What absolute rubbish. But you can imagine that this is a similar response given by Malay guards all over Malaysia, be it at KLCC and now even Parliament! They usually cannot be bothered to involve themselves and help others. These people are what we call locally as "makan gaji buta". Being paid for nothing.

Safety and security in Malaysia is horrendous, crime is spiraling high and we wonder why.

Parliament is a very secure building and property. You cannot enter the grounds without first providing your IC at the guardhouse which is more than 100m from the building. You also need to prove that you have official business there before allowed entry. Not just anyone can enter.

It is not hard to believe that UMNO Youth members from the Selangor division will resort to such tactics. Look at the Selangor Youth Chief, this is reflective of his leadership. It is not surprising.

But it is quite silly that they will do it in such a place like Parliament, either that or, they feel that they weild so much power, being Malay (the privileged) and being UMNO members, that they think they can do anything they like, including intimidating and assulting a crippled Parliamentarian.

Karpal Singh may not be the most diplomatic politician, but he speaks for his people and he fights for them, his interests one must remember, are that of his belief of what the future of Malaysians should be. Right or wrong, his heart is in the right place. Just because certain people lack the intelligence to challenge him, they would think that brawn will solve the problem.

UMNO Youth infantile idiots. Grow up, do not embarass your race, Islam, your culture and heritage. You only embarass yourselves and discredit your leaders.

Lets see if this case will die a natural death in the media, or will the police investigate and incarcerate the guilty 22 UMNO Youth members. Punish them or set a precedence for this sort of politics. Disgusting.

Shame on UMNO and shame on the Police. What a disgrace.

Thursday February 26, 2009

Group confronts Karpal outside tower block

KUALA LUMPUR: A group of 22 men claiming to be Selangor Umno Youth members confronted DAP chairman Karpal Singh just outside the Parliament tower block on Thursday.

In the 2.45pm incident, the men surrounded the Bukit Gelugor MP, shouting and demanding that he retract the word “celaka” which he had used in reference to Umno Youth during his debate speech on Wednesday.

Unlike other MPs, Karpal Singh – who is wheelchair-bound – uses the ramp at the tower block to enter the Parliament building.

Four other MPs — Lim Lip Eng (DAP – Segambut), Fong Kui Lun (DAP – Bukit Bintang), Chong Chieng Jen (DAP – Bandar Kuching) and N. Gobalakrishnan (PKR – Padang Serai) — went to Karpal Singh’s aid after being informed by security guards.

At the same time, Fong Po Kuan (DAP – Batu Gajah) received a call from Karpal Singh’s aide and went over as well.

By then, Lim’s tie and coat had been pulled by the men in full view of Parliament security.
During the commotion, Fong shouted: “ Where is security ? Where is security?” and a reply was heard: “ We only jaga (look after) inside (Parliament), not outside.”

Soon reporters and others at the Parliament lobby rushed out to the entrance and to the windows to witness the event.

Even after Karpal Singh had entered the Dewan at 3pm, the group of men continued to loiter at the entrance.

At one point, Gobind Singh Deo (DAP – Puchong) came out of the tower block and challenged the men to a “one to one fight”. They moved away after the security guards stepped in.

In the House, Karpal Singh raised the matter immediately.

He said he was blocked by about 15 Umno men who acted like gangsters and who told him to apologise or else he could not go into the House.

“(How) Can such a thing happen in Parliament?” he exclaimed. Karpal Singh said that he called the (in-house) police for help but no one came to his aid except for his party members.

“What protection as a Speaker will you give us?” he asked.

Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia replied that such threats were not condoned in Parliament and that he would ask the police and the relevant Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department to investigate.

Chong Chieng Jen (DAP – Kuching) asked whether investigations could be carried out immediately since the guards were still at the entrance.

During the debate on Wednesday, Karpal Singh had uttered the word “celaka” against Umno Youth and also pointed the finger at the wing for the “bullets and threatening letter” he had received in Penang.

The confrontation was the latest in a “series of threats” leveled against the outspoken MP, who had riled some quarters for his statement that the Sultan of Perak could be taken to court for his role in the Perak crisis. He later received bullets and a threatening letter at his house in Penang.

BEWARE: Oral Sex Illegal in Malaysia, Chua Soi Lek Investigated

2009-02-24T10:36:00.006+08:00

An old story rears its ugly head. Dr. Chua Soi Lek, former Health Minister who is liked by his constituents and is known to work hard for the people and at his portfolio was secretly videotaped while having sex with his lady friend. Upon this revelation, he resigned all his party posts and as Heath Minister. This was a great shame at the time as he is known to work hard for the people and he was deemed to be the "Best Health Minister" we ever had.

At least he had the courtesy to voluntarily resign his posts unlike some other people who have been accused of all sorts of fishy business deals and using a government position to influence (isn't that abuse of power?)

Yet, he was returned to politics with the resounding support of the people. It's obvious that many people don't really about other people's sex life. What mattered was that Dr. Chua had served and will serve the people well. That's what they voted for.

Today, Dr. Chua faces another investigation on the same video. This time for having Oral Sex. It is apparently stated in Malaysian Law that something as petty as Oral Sex, or even Anal Sex is against the order of nature and hence illegal and punishable.

Against the order of nature? At one point humans weren't supposed to fly, let alone walk on the moon, and the earth was flat. Any attempts to prove otherwise was deemed to be the work of the devil. We don't have wings (nature), so we shouldn't fly (order).

We are neither for or against oral or anal sex, but does it matter so much that the very nature of it impacts society so negatively that people need to be policed on what they choose to do in their private time? We think not.

In Dr. Chua's case, this was a private moment, how he decides to engage in sexual intercourse and how he does it and even for how long, isn't for anyone to dictate. These things usually occur in the privacy of a room and is not discussed in public. It was unfortunate that some people decided to trap him and to destroy his political career for their own reasons. Now that they have failed, they are making a second attempt at highlighting something quite petty, but law enforcers and makers alike in Malaysia are taking to it and re-investigating him. Why do this to one of the few Barisan Nasional MPs who actually work for the people?

I'm sure if we could peer into the private lives of Khairi Jamaluddin, Hishamuddin, Najib, Khir Toyo and other politicians, we may find out all sorts of things about them. Who's to say that Khairi was not involved in sex before marriage, who's to say the same of any number of politicians? How do we know that none of the above enjoy oral sex, giving or receiving? They can publically announce that they don't, but how do we know?

The law enforcers will prosecute these petty acts, but as the people, we should not pay attention to these petty things. We as the people should continue to vote in the people who will work hard for us, and not get caught up in these little moral inquisitions, and judge people.

The fact is, none of us are so clean that we cannot be faulted. Everyone has sex in different ways, and some like certain things more than others, is it any of our business?

A sexual offence in Malaysia includes oral sex, it's absurd. How many men haven't received oral sex at one point in their lives? Politicans, policemen and ordinary people? Surely there are more haves than haves not.

In which case, why don't we place cameras in everyone's bedroom, invade their privacy and then incarcerate them for it. That's essentially what the police is doing, they are going after the wrong people.

The recent events of Elizabeth Wong and Chua Soi Lek only shows that politics in Malaysia has stooped to new lows and that Malaysians are easily distracted by little dramas like this when the people should actually be angry about politicians wasting time on such matters, and politicians should be focusing on what to do in such harsh economic times.

Oral Sex against the order of nature? Then we should all be in jail.

Malaysia is fast becoming the circus of the region as many of our neighbours tell us that reading or watching the Malaysian news says it is "very entertaining", like reading the National Enquirer - a garbage celebrity rumour magazine. Malaysia Boleh.

Soi Lek faces oral sex probe
NST, 24 February 2009

PETALING JAYA: Former health minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek's sex video clip has come back to haunt him.

Police are investigating the MCA deputy president for allegedly engaging in oral sex. Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said investigations began recently after two copies of the video clip, showing Chua in intimate positions with a woman, were found in a mailbox of a house in Kelana Jaya.

The houseowner lodged a police report on Feb 13 and police are investigating the case for carnal intercourse against the order of nature and distribution and possession of material containing pornographic elements."We will investigate the police report which stated that the oral sex in the DVD was too explicit," Khalid said.

Dr Chua arrived at the Petaling Jaya district police station here at 11am and left an hour later after having his statement recorded.

He said there were some people out there who still wanted to tarnish his name and scare him with such tactics."I will leave it to the police to investigate and I will give my full cooperation."

When the clip first surfaced in January last year, Dr Chua resigned from all party and government posts.

He had been MCA vice-president and health minister then. Dr Chua returned to politics late last year after being elected MCA deputy president.

Elizabeth Wong Nude Photo Scandal

2009-02-17T14:36:00.007+08:00

Malaysian politics his finally hit new lows.

In the recent months we have watched the Perak State Government led by Pakatan Rakyat, crumble because of two of their PKR MPs decided to quit and become independents in support of the BN coalition. To add to this, an UMNO man had joined PKR only to quit a week later, just around the same time when the two PKR MPs quit. Conspiracy? Your guess is as good as ours.

It goes to show the kind of dirty tactics that await us under the Najib administration, since he is seen to be the leader of the campaign.

More recently, Elizabeth Wong. Seen to be a hardworking MP for Bukit Lanjan just like her counterpart Teresa Kok of Seputih, she is appreciated by her constituents and very much liked. All this has been torn down by the likes of certain UMNO opportunists who seem to take to mud slinging and character assasination. One such person is Khir Toyo - the very much disliked former Menteri Besar of Selangor.

Khir Toyo has said that this is a morality issue and that Elizabeth Wong has moral issues, thus, the people cannot accept such community leaders.

This comes from a man who has so many allegations against him of corruption and fishy land deals, destruction of the environment to make way for housing developments on hillsides and so forth. It is on his approval that developers get the go ahead to build on hillslopes even though there is a directive not to. In the recent years, there were at least 4 landslides in the Ampang area, lives were lost. When questioned, Khir Toyo's response along with that of the Town/City Councils is that; it is private property, we do not have any jurisdiction - and that of the sort. There is only one reason why people in authority who are supposed to protect the rights of the people, would surrender their power to a private company and developer.

If it isn't the State Government's responsibility to ensure the safety of people, proper zoning and planning, then whose is it? The developers?

How does that compare to a poor woman who was photographed while sleeping by her boyfriend (alleged Hilmi Malik). Is it her fault that this perverted young man had perverted and malicious intentions? Is it her fault that this new joiner to PKR might have been coaxed by money, perhaps offered by some politician or political organisation - possibly opposition in the state, to do this? Is it her fault that she chooses to sleep in the nude? Many Malay men sleep with a sarong and no underwear. Is it wrong that a single woman has a sexual relationship with a man? Perhaps in Islam, but not everyone believes in this, including many of our Muslim friends.

So, why victimise her on this basis? Nobody would give Elizabeth Wong a second look if they knew she did these things if she was just an ordinary citizen, even Khir Toyo wouldn't care. He would probably say that it isn't bad if you don't get caught. But in this poor woman's case, something is made out of nothing.

Elizabeth Wong serves her community well, this is no way to treat someone who works for the people, perhaps this is something that Khir Toyo can learn.

Wong Koon Mun, Kuala Kubu Baru MCA Assemblyman said that it is wrong for a single woman to allow a man to access her room. What century is he living in? She is a mature woman, not a teenage girl. Don't tell me Wong hasn't gone into a single woman's room before? Are we so sure that he, along with the rest of these Male Chauvanist Pigs didn't have sex before they were married? Please.

Barisan Nasional politicians are still arrogant, heartless and shameless.

The people had made a choice last year for change, none of us will deny that the states that are managed by the Pakatan Rakyat are in any worse position as they were before. Hillside developments have been stopped, and for once, the people are being listened to.

However, the BN, with their slim majority is trying to fabricate and dig up all sorts of negative things to assasinate the characters of the people whom we voted for, so that perhaps they may be able to wrest power from Pakatan Rakyat in those states.

We firmly believe that the people, the silent majority know what these political ploys are and that support for the Pakatan Rakyat will remain. We want to vote for people who will work for us and in our interest.

The people must fight this insurgency by the Barisan Nasional and cast out any doubt about the people whom we voted for. All this dirty politics is a waste of time when the economy is worsening and people are unemployed. It seems to be BN's way of distracting the people from what the Pakatan Rakyat is really trying to do and the achievements already attained.

If the Pakatan Rakyat had the time away from serving its constituents, they could possibly go digging into the backgrounds of people to blackmail the opposition, and to find the weaker opposition members who could either be made to defect or be a spy or trojan horse in the Barisan Nasional.

Don't dismiss the possibility for a second that the BN is desperate and would do this. The silly people of UMNO are probably gauging Najib's ability as our new PM by how many coups he can orchestrate. It serves to benefit him as he would be seen to getting the support he needs.

If there are any Pakatan Rakyat leaders or members reading this, you should seriously look into the background of those closest to the leaders and sensitive information. Do not trust the outsider who has joined in the recent 1-2 years. Be weary.

Anwar Ibrahim's biggest mistake was promising the people that he will be able to orchestrate mass defections in Pakatan Rakyat's favor. After the elections and being 5 states ahead, the Pakatan should just concentrate on proving themselves to the people of those 5 states. This will win Pakatan Rakyat the next election in those states, and perhaps with success in those states, people from other states will begin to trust Pakatan and PAS to lead the nation. Forget these ambitions, focus on what you have now and build upon it. Selangor, Penang and Kedah are industrialised and there are great opportunities.

As for Khir, some people should just get some dirty information on him and bring him down. Perhaps since he believes that appearing nude in photos is a morality issue, even if it is involuntary, someone should spy cam Khir changing in one of his country clubs and post it on YouTube. Perhaps he can then resign too, after all it is a morality issue that the people cannot accept.

Tuesday February 17, 2009

Rep must resign from all her posts, says Khir

KLANG: Selangor Opposition chief and former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo has called for Pakatan Rakyat state executive councillor Elizabeth Wong to resign on moral grounds.
He said Malaysians were not ready to accept leaders who were embroiled in scandals.

Given this, he said Wong must relinquish all her positions.
“This is a moral issue and Malaysians cannot accept leaders with moral issues and so she must vacate her State Assembly seat.

“Let the people decide and if they still want her, they can vote her in again, or vote for someone else if they don’t want her to represent them anymore,” said Dr Khir.

He was commenting on the nude photos of Elizabeth being circulated through multi media messaging service (MMS).

Kuala Kubu Baru MCA assemblyman Wong Koon Mun said that a wrong was a wrong.
The picture was obviously taken by someone who had access to her bedroom.

“Who is that person? And if it’s her boyfriend as rumoured, it is morally wrong for a single woman to allow a man access to her room,” he said.

He added that it was equally immoral for the culprit to have taken photos of Elizabeth in the nude without her knowledge.

Meanwhile, national Barisan leaders expressed sympathy for what Wong was going through.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said such an incident should not have happen.

“She is a wakil rakyat and she is doing her job as one. To get her down this way is not good.
“I hope she will be strong and ignore whatever that has happened,” he said when asked to comment on the case in Parliament yesterday.

Puteri Umno chief Datuk Noraini Ahmad said an individual’s privacy should be respected.
“People should not do such things,” she said.

However, she said people would closely observe their leaders and they needed to watch their conduct.

She said they virtually do not have private lives any more.

Johor Police Disagrees on Crime Rate in Johor - Targeting Singaporeans

2008-11-11T21:47:00.007+08:00

Crime and Johor are synonymous. Even Malaysians will admit to that. But the Johor Police, long embattled on the state of affairs with regard to safety and security in Johor, seem to be on the defence - against the Singaporean media.

Firstly, let's disect the facts:

1. The police claim that there have only been 19 cases of robbery involving Singaporeans from Jan to Oct this year. Have they considered that many affected Singaporean victims may not file police reports? Why wouldn't they report it? Simple, because the system and beauracracy is so bad that people spend hours at a police station making a report, talking to an officer who, in most people's experience, seems to have an attitude of disconcern and helplessness. So, people don't file reports (unless they lose their IC, or something that requires an insurance claim) because they feel that more hours are wasted and only because criminals in Malaysia are hardly ever caught, go on a wanted list etc., and even if they are, the penalty is so light, they will be set free after 6 months for something like a snatch theft. So what is the point?

2. The Police claim that about 850,000 Singaporeans enter the state monthly. If you calculate this, the Police are saying that 28,333 Singaporeans enter Johor each day & 1,180 every hour. These figures do not make sense. If that is the case, the causeway and the Johor immigration will be packed, even if there are 4 people in a car, that would be 295 cars per hour.

Impossible. There are many hours in a day when there isn't any traffic on the causeway, except returning Malaysian cars.

28,000 Singaporeans enter Malaysia each day, I wonder if the economy is so good that 28,000 Singaporean workers can take the day off to visit Johor - to do their shopping at Giant or Carrefour.

Are the figures a fabrication? Maybe, or maybe not. But considering that the quality of police officers that include secondary school dropouts and people without diplomas or degrees, perhaps they have miscalculated or wrongly analysed the data.

That aside, the fact is that crime in Malaysia is high. Horrendous crimes involving rape, murder and assult is high, especially in Johor. All Johorians, especially those in Johor Baru will tell of how fearful they are and how many times each of them have been a victim. In most places, you will be a victim, perhaps once. In Johor, nobody is spared. The old and frail are targets by cruel and vicious opportunists.

If the police says that this isn't true, then they, like the rest of the government are in denial, and hope for change is pointless.

The police have the cheek to say that this year, there have only been 14 cases involving Singaporean vehicle thefts. ONLY 14 cases? It plainly shows that the police think that 1 less case is "progress".

They probably botched the numbers, and they want to believe that their prevention efforts are paying off. Gosh, I wouldn't be so quick to cheer. It's only 1 less case.

Best for people in general to stay away from Johor - until some people come to their senses.

Quoted in the Star:

Johor cops dispute Singaporean media reports on crime
By FARIK ZOLKEPLI

JOHOR BARU: Only 1.4% of crime cases in Johor this year involved Singaporean victims, said Johor police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff in refuting reports by the island republic’s media.

There were only 19 cases of robbery involving Singaporean victims from January to October this year, compared with 44 cases during the same period last year.

“Between 830,000 and 850,000 Singaporeans enter the state monthly, and only a handful are victims of crimes,” he said, adding that Johor police wanted to refute Singaporean newspaper reports that implied their citizens were being deliberately targeted.

DCP Mohd Mokhtar said that only 26 cases of intimidation against Singaporeans were recorded so far this year, compared with 47 last year. There were only 14 cases of vehicle thefts involving Singaporeans this year, while last year showed only 15 cases.

“Criminal cases involving Singaporean victims are on a decline this year,” he said, adding that the state’s crime prevention efforts were paying off.

Oh Pak! Oh Pak Lah...

2008-11-06T15:40:00.004+08:00

Good gosh, what planet has he been living on? Anyone can be PM in Malaysia? Not even competent to know that:

1. The constitution states that the Head of State must be Malay
2. The Rulers have in recent weeks stated their stance, clearly for Malay rights
3. UMNO stalwarts insist that Malay rights are paramount on UMNO's agenda
4. Son In Law Khairi Jamaluddin is clearly a Malay Ultra
5. The general Malay population in Malaysia are not likely to accept a non Malay leader, or even a Deputy PM who is non Malay. This is clear based on what has gone on in recent weeks in Selangor and previously to that, general statements made by Malay leaders, influential or not.

Pak Lah seems to think that he can use this to raise the hopes of the minorities in Malaysia and to buy himself some political mileage local or foreign. Wrong!

Even Marina Mahathir, a fairly enlightened person had only this to say "Say what? Not sure what Planet he is living on".

Goes to further reinforce the general sentiment about such things happening in Malaysia.

Thursday November 6, 2008
Abdullah: ‘Anyone can be PM’

PUTRAJAYA: It is possible for anyone from a minority group to be a nation’s leader, even in Malaysia, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi.

“It is up to the people to decide, just as the Americans had done through the democratic process,” he said while extending his congratulations to Senator Barack Obama.

Reporters had asked him in the Parliament lobby yesterday if it were possible for a person from a minority group to become Prime Minister in Malaysia.

Ketuanan Melayu - Concept Becoming Questionable by Malay Leaders

2008-11-03T23:11:00.004+08:00

Finally, some sensible words from an UMNO leader on the matter of Ketuanan Melayu. Little else needs to be said of what the non-political and open minded Malays think of the concept.

Truly, it's a concept, not so much a reality. It is only real to those who wish it to be real. Unfortunately, racial supremacy is a thing of the past in the globalised age. It died with Hitler but lives on in small pockets in society.

Zaid not going to apologise for Ketuanan Melayu statement
October 3, 2008 (The Star)

KOTA BARU: Former de facto Law Minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has hit back at three Umno supreme council members for asking him to apologise over remarks that he made about Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy).

Stressing that he would never apologise, Zaid said it was because he loved his Malay race that he recommended open competition be allowed to ensure the race could compete with others in a globalised age.

“I am not surprised by the reaction of some Umno leaders especially since they have an ongoing party election,” he said in a statement on Monday.

“I am a village boy from a poor family, not an aristocrat or royalty. I want to see the Malays succeed in economy and education.”

Zaid said he was not questioning the special rights of Malays as enshrined in the Constitution.
He said the new model that he recommended was based on openness to ensure young Malays closed ranks and cooperated not only with other races in the country but also foreigners.

He named Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Syed Albar, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassin and Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib as the three supreme council members.

Zaid had pointed out recently that the Malay supremacy concept had failed and distracted from the real issues confronting the country.

He said on Monday that he hoped Malays could differentiate between leaders who thought of their interests from those who only used the name of Malays for political mileage.

He said the concept of Malay supremacy had a negative element that was racist and implied that
they only wanted to become masters without knowing how to struggle or be responsible.

He added it was not a clear reflection of the race and such an image weakened them.

Ahmad Ismail Bites the Dust, but calls himself a "Perjuang"

2008-09-11T02:40:00.004+08:00

Ahmad "Pejuang Melayu" Ismail
perhaps a racist

The following video was posted on the NST today:

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Wednesday/NewsBreak/20080911000241/Article/index_html

Ahmad Ismail, widely proclaimed to be a racist has been stripped and dishonorably discharged from his duties as an UMNO member and has also been suspended for 3 years.

This was all for his statements during the Permatang Pauh campaign that the Chinese in Malaysia are merely "squatters" or "immigrants" - referring to them as "Pendatang".

This sparked an outcry by all Chinese leaders, both from Barisan Nasional and the Opposition with demands for an apology. Some UMNO leaders also remarked that Ahmad Ismail should apologise, including the Prime Minister. However, a recalcitrant and arrogant Ahmad Ismail, though in his twilight years, remained fiery and fought against the demands for an apology. Seeming to want to renew his political career with the Malay community, he has appeared to deploy tactics using the racial card - this, more and more seems to be a common tactic for UMNO leaders to gain popularity as "Malay Ultras" seem to be respected by the grassroots.

The end result of Ahmad Ismail's comments:

1. The Prime Minister and UMNO has potentially lost more ground on both sides (the Non-Malays and the Malay Ultras residing within the party and communities around)

2. BN Youth Chief for Penang from Gerakan has resigned

3. Gerakan has threatened to pull out of the coalition

4. Ahmad Ismail throws tantrums and tells Gerakan to "Get out of BN"

5. UMNO supporters in Penang worsened the situation by tearing up a picture of Koh Tsu Koon (Gerakan Chief)

An Idiot Ahmad Supporter - remember his face

All this for the sake of saving face and pursuing a personal agenda.

UMNO should sack him with no possibility of return to active politics. Ahmad Ismail should be charged with Sedition . If this were any other person other than an UMNO Malay, this person would be put under ISA immediately.

However, considering that the DPM Najib Tun Razak had once said "Bathe the kris in Chinese Blood", we suppose that since he was pardoned and not put under ISA for such a remark in the 1980s, people like Ahmad and people like him will have the freedom to antagonise other races with racial slurs.

The amazing part is that even Dr Mahathir has gotten involved. He supports that Ahmad shouldn't apologise as the other races have also been racial, and MCA, MIC and HINDRAF have never apologised.

Again, fair leaders of our dwindling nation, For the sake of all Malays, Chinese, Indians and the other races... None of what you have claimed to be racial slurs against Malays have really been racial slurs. Example:

1. Gerakan announcing it may want to leave the BN is deemed to antagonise national harmony. What? How can that be? Does this mean they cannot leave even if they are not heard and playing a role for the electorate?

2. Malaysian Taiwanese Student who developed a video using the national anthem that riddled the situation in Malaysia as he saw it. Why should the chinese parties apologise for him? He is not a member of those parties - he is a lay person

3. HINDRAF - why should MIC apologise for them? They are their own movement.

Unlike UMNO and the irresponsibility of UMNO members and leaders, these other parties had no linkage with any of those acts (deemed to be against the Malays). However, people like Khairy Jamaluddin, Nazri, Najib, Ahmad Ismail - all members and leaders of UMNO, have personally made silly statements about other communities for the sake of their "Perjuangan" - Melayu. For political gain and for personal gain.

These people are pardoned, slapped on the hand perhaps and allowed to carry on. They nearly tear the fabric of our multi-racial and multi-cultural society apart, and they are not punished. But for the likes of HINDRAF leaders, just standing for their rights as Indians and economic rights, are placed under ISA, and accused of disrupting national harmony. Even if they were, people like Ahmad Ismail should be placed under ISA - what makes him so different from the HINDRAF 5?

The 3 year suspension for Ahmad Ismail is a slap on the hand, it is hardly severe enough considering the damage he has done.

And he can still have a press conference and say that he is not going to apologise and he has done nothing wrong. This was after he said that, we are where we are because Allah determined it as such. It's amazing how some people can use Allah S.A.W. as an excuse when it is convenient. Further to that, he claims himself to be a "Perjuang", Crusader for the Malays and with that comes sacrifice. It appears that he has Martyred himself for the sake of his people and sacrificed himself for the Malay struggle. Perhaps this comes from the "Jihad" mindset, and of course, to gain political ground with the grassroots. Only the kampung people will be happy enough to buy into this sort of hoax, in the form of a sandiwara.

Perhaps Ahmad Ismail should be careful from now on. People have labelled him a racist, Chinese, Indians and Malays alike. Perhaps, one day he will meet his fate with the people he has belittled. Ahmad Ismail is but one man and there are 50% of Malaysians who do not support the racial politicking, if the PKR manifesto and popularity vote is anything to go by.

Therefore, if things heat up, Ahmad Ismail could be in the hot seat, and perhaps those who have suffered losses will go in search of him. At which point, the country he is trying to protect from the "Pendatang" will cease to be his own, as he may have to flee for fear of life and limb.

God willing it doesn't come to that, but for this man's political sins, the backlash can be treacherous.

Dr. M, Once Dubbed a True Statesman, joins the Ahmad Ismail mess

2008-09-08T01:12:00.005+08:00

This is when people will start losing respect for Dr. M. Whatever that's left of it.

All this emotion that led to Ahmad Ismail making these racist remarks, and the people who have supported his statement just goes to show what a bunch of racist imbiciles these people are - now Dr. M included.

Filled with pride of whatever remains of their "Ketuanan Melayu", they all fail to realise one thing, it is only some Malays who believe that they are truly Bumi Putras, in the literal sense, and that they are the Tuans of out country - not all... Just some, mainly from UMNO. Blinded by their pride and view of themselves, these UMNO, so called, Leaders, believe that they can say anything and do things any which way they please. Because we all must succumb to the great Ketuanan Melayu "perception".

The Reality: We are only Tuans in our own country, beyond Malaysia's borders, the Ketuanan thinking doesn't apply. So, who are you trying to kid? Only yourselves dear UMNO members and veterans. The reality, Malaysia failed in many areas, many were once deemed to be international firsts. Ie. The MSC, the Entertainment Villiage, BioTech Valley. If you, as a fellow Malaysian doesn't believe this, then just go to the locations that house these large investments, sponsored by the Rakyat. Is it flourishing?

Why has it failed? Many reasons. One can surmise that the root cause is the focus on the NEP and the prosperity of a certain few Malays (as the poor rural Malays still remain poor and haven't benefitted from these things). We believe it is mainly because of the NEP which has given birth to this thinking of Ketuanan Melayu.

For example, in building the MSC, the intention was to make Malaysia a ICT hub, but in very short time, India overtook us, and before we knew it, the Philippines has become a hub for all the Call Centers and Business Process Outsourcing centers. Why? Surveys, that some may have been privy to, show that it is the level of competence in IT and the proficiency in English that has led to the MSC's failure. One can say there are hundreds of ICT companies, but they are mostly local, and small businesses. Companies like Microsoft pulled out years ago, along with Kenichi Omae that pulled out from the advisory panel.

What is this evidenced by? We have posted articles about the sub standard education in Malaysia, and also the English medium. Many will find that many students graduating from our local Universities do not have a strong command of the English language, yet we intend to attract international corporations? A major issue is also the competency of Malay fresh graduates from the local universities, who have a lack of understanding in the subject of their degrees. If you think this is untrue, speak to someone from the private sector and see what they have to say - it has been published in the media in the recent 3 years.

Just speak to any non Malay university student and you will begin to understand that special preference is given to Malay students during pre-exam lectures... there is much more, but you get the picture

So, in Malaysia, we have arrogant idiots like Ahmad Ismail who go around making derogatory statements about the Chinese and other races. Then he and Dr. M accuse the Chinese and Indians for making similar statements against the Malays.

Tell us dear intellectual and all powerful "Tuan's" of our Country, who is the minority that is being sidelined here? Why do you make it all about the Malays and yourselves? Look at our demographics and you will see that you are the majority and that the minority groups are being sidelined.

What do you have to be frustrated about? Have you considered the frustration of the Indians and the Chinese, and that of the poor Malays?

For Dr. M to be unhappy about any apology just goes to show the arrogance of the man. For Ahmad Ismail, he's just a moron. Only a moron could make statements like that, as he may have failed his Sejarah Malaysia class and yet, became a politician.

The fault lies in the system of recruiting and developing our nations leaders who obviously have no understanding of what it means to be a leader or a moderate understanding of our nation's history and people management.

Dr. M asked, why doesn't HINDRAF or MCA apologise as well? Simple. HINDRAF isn't an elected government body, so they are radical and don't have responsibilities like a BN or UMNO MP. MCA leaders haven't made such statements, frankly, to the Chinese community, MCA is but a "Toothless Tiger". For their subservience, MCA lost many seats in the General Election of 2008.

The day a MCA leader stands up and makes a statement like that against the Malays, there will be riots and protests, and perhaps some innocent Chinese will be injured. But when the UMNO man makes a statement like Ahmad Ismail, nothing happens, except for some Chinese leaders demanding an apology.

Why don't the Chinese protest? Simple, because, unlike their Malay brothers, they aren't so emotional. But they are also not stupid. We have seen the Chinese population decline in Malaysia, they are emmigrating - leaving the country. And our leaders complain about "brain drain". Idiots. While the Malays fuss about with silly rhetoric and safeguarding their perception of "Ketuanan", the Chinese and Indians (who can) are simply trying to earn enough to buy their way out of the country, by educating their children abroad, or saving to start a life anew abroad.

Very soon, the Malays will have to fight among themselves for who is more "Tuan" than the other, as there won't be a multi-racial Malaysia anymore. That will be the day when Malaysians, Malay, Chinese and Indian alike, who have left and are abroad, will sit back and laugh as one race, fights among each other to further divide themselves.

Dr M on Ahmad Ismail furore:
Non-Malays make racist remarks too
September 07, 2008

WHY should the government apologise when others like the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) have not said sorry for racist remarks?

Former premier Mahathir Mohamad said this in a recent posting on his blog.

Citing the Hindraf memorandum sent to the British government last year as an example, DrMahathir said that terms like 'Islamic extremist', 'ethnic cleansing' and 'mini genocide' were used to describe what the government was doing to the Indians.

He wrote: 'The writings in the Hindraf memorandum are not only racist, but seditious.
'The question is why the government is lopsided, hiding the racist remarks of Hindraf, but reporting widely on what has been said by Malay leaders.'

Dr Mahathir said that Malays are so afraid of being labelled racist that they do not defend themselves.

'It is unfortunate for the DPM (Datuk Seri Najib Razak) and Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's government that even after the Umno top leadership made a public apology, it was rejected by those community leaders.

'They have demanded that the person who uttered the words labelled as 'racist' should apologise himself,' he said.

Referring to Malaysian student Wee Meng Chee, accused of ridiculing the national anthem, he said: 'Have (he) been asked to apologise? Have (his) leaders been asked to apologise?

'Far from it. In fact, Wee was defended by leaders of the Chinese parties,' he said.

Dr Mahathir also said race relations had worsened after the 8 Mar general election, adding that he too might be accused of contributing to the situation through his writing.

'It is so unfair if one side is free to accuse, while the accused can't even open his mouth,' he said.

Permatang Pauh, Petrol Prices, Return to UMNO: Dr M Interview Reveals...

2008-08-30T00:51:00.004+08:00

Here is our translation of what was mentioned in Dr. M's (www.chedet.com) Blog. It has become quite apparent that the current government under the Badawi regime has performed censorship of not only Malaysia Today (in a feeble and unintelligent attempt), but on any opposing views to their agenda.

Dr. M, has also been subjected to this. Not only has the Police intervened and discouraged people from inviting Mahathir to give talks and speeches. This is the way of an authoritarian regime. None of us would have ever imagined that Badawi was capable of this in his years as Minister of Foreign Affairs and as DPM.

Without further ado... as extracted and translated from Dr. M's website, for the english speaking world to understand:

2. During the news interview, I had explained that the interview will serve no purpose as the journalists will not be allowed to report my responses as they are, and they will be twisted to appear that I am supporting Dato Seri Abdullah Badawi and his government.

3. As expected, the report was written differently from what I had said

4. When asked about the reduction of petrol prices, my response was that this had a connection with Permatang Pauh. We should have more by-elections so that the petrol prices can be further reduced

5. What was reported was that I said the reduction of petrol prices will benefit the people. That's All.

6. I was also asked about what my plans were after Permatang Pauh. Will I return to UMNO?

7. I reminded them that I left UMNO with condition. I will reapply to return to UMNO if Dato Seri Abdullah is no longer President, that is if I am permitted to return.

8. Once I return, I will return to the field and work hard to re-attract all the pockets of UMNO supporters and Barisan Nasional that have supported the opposition in the 12th General Election

9. I also explained that this work will take time. However, if the leadership change is only in June 2010, there will be not enough time to rebuild the party before the 13th General Election

10. NONE of this was even reported in the slightest, in any newspaper or television. Is this the sort of freedom of media as promised by Dato Seri Abdullah?

Original Report

Some interesting quotes from Dr M in the same post:

"But to break a promise and to openly show that you can meddle with the security of the internet is to expose a degree of oppressive arrogance worthy of a totalitarian state"

I had once before written to a Government Minister that Malaysia has become a police state because the Government instructed the police to call up people who invited me to give talks and coerce them into withdrawing their invitation. The police is not supposed to do that. When the Government makes use of the police for extralegal work then the Government is guilty of abuse of power.

The Minister simply replied that I had retired and it was better for me to literally shut up.

I know that things have been engineered to ensure Khairy Jamaluddin will win as UMNO Youth leader and Dato Seri Abdullah Badawi as President. Democracy in UMNO is dead. And when democracy dies in UMNO, the party itself will die

I would like to say this to the Prime Minister and his minions. You may have the power now. But as in five States, you may lose power some day. And this will certainly happen because of your obsession to block all contrary opinion from being heard. It will blind you to the reality of the situation so that you will continue to do wrong things and the people will reject you totally

Tun M: "The Descrimination Must End"

2008-08-27T11:20:00.003+08:00

Our former Prime Minister, who recently unshackled himself from the ungrateful UMNO party and members, who belittled him (only after he retired), a founding father of Malaysia, has spoken brilliantly about the NEP and Malays.

This is why Mahathir should have remained our Prime Minister, this is why Badawi and Najib do not belong where they are. Along with the likes of Minister in the PM's Department (Nazri - who has crossed swords with a man far greater than him), and UMNO Youth Deputy Chief (Khairy), these so called leaders lacking vision and care for their people and nation, should go.

See quoted extracts below:

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

33. The Malays must accept that this discrimination cannot be forever. If they fail to respond properly to what is being done for them, they should accept this policy would be taken away.

34. When Malay youngsters, especially boys, failed to study and qualify for university education, when they preferred to play and not study, we cannot expect the non-Malays to patiently wait and give up their opportunities until the Malays decide to become serious and study. That would not be fair.

35. That was why we introduced merit in the selection of students for the universities. Unfortunately, the implementers of Government decisions chose to interpret it differently. By requiring Bumiputeras to sit for the matriculation and the non-Bumiputeras to sit for higher school certificates, they managed to give the impression that the Bumiputeras were actually better qualified than the non-Bumiputeras. With this, the intention of the Government to make the Bumiputeras become more serious about their education failed.

36. There is a tendency among Malays to regard the discrimination in their favour as a privilege, as a recognition of their superior status. I think this is wrong. The discrimination is in order to give them a kind of headstart so that they can catch up with other races. To me, it is shameful to have to be protected because we do not have the capacity to compete. We are not Red Indians to live on reserves. We should regard it as a temporary expedient to be done away with once we have achieved the capacity to compete on our own.

37. However, we must give time for ending the NEP and it should be done in stages. I hope that the time will not be too long. In the meantime, serious efforts by the Bumiputeras must be made to avail themselves of the opportunities. If this is obviously not being done, then, as with entrance into the universities, the discrimination must end.

Permatang Pauh: Anwar Wins by a HUGE Margin

2008-08-27T00:25:00.004+08:00

Tahniah Anwar! Against all odds and the arrogant Barisan Nasional, you have succeeded not only in winning your seat, but by an even bigger margin than Datin Seri. It's obvious the people don't buy the sodomy claims made against you.

Just today, Information Minister, Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek, had the cheek to make a shabby statement...

"Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim must accept that the era of him becoming prime minister ended long ago."

All sorts of tricks were resorted to by the highest ranking officers in the current government. DPM Najib even resorted to swearing on the Quran that he neither murdered nor knew Altantuya, the brutally murdered Mogolian translator. This was just after Saiful, Anwar's sodomy accuser, performed the same act claiming that Anwar sodomised him. (Come on, any real man would have fought his way out of that situation, unless he really wanted it)

Najib then turned to Anwar to say that he should do the right thing and swear also. Political trickery from a man who also has an agenda, and plenty of secrets. He has outrightly accused Anwar of corruption, however, it is a matter of time before the finger pointing begins to reveal who the really corrupt are.

We're not blind to the fact that it is possible that Anwar has his misdeeds, cronies, stashes of money or otherwise (as claimed by Najib). However, we also know that Najib and the likes of people like Khairy (who has participated in the campaigning) aren't clean enough to go around pointing the finger at other people. So many people have spoken about it, and it comes from different sources, these people aren't even opposition supporters, some are UMNO, and yet, they are aware, and yet they do nothing. Perhaps all feeling of hope is lost.

Perhaps, it is now time for us to give an opportunity to someone who has so widely claimed an agenda of a secular and equal for all Malaysia. Perhaps it is time for that change. BN says he will not deliver on his promises and that the rakyat are being duped. However, if he doesn't, not only will he not survive the next election, he would have lost all his international credibility - which, therefore casts doubt. As he is deemed to be quite reputable in the international community.

What is the point in supporting a government that has not only mismanaged the economy, and benefited a small group of Malays, but also one that is arrogant enough to believe that the people will support them, even after they as the lawmakers and nation builders have made racial and religious slurs against the minority groups.

That aside, UMNO even attempted to secretly form an alliance with PAS, a group with an Islamic State Agenda, against all UMNO's principles of supporting policies that will benefit all Malaysians regardless of race or religion. UMNO in such desperation was willing to break ranks with their component parties, just to ensure the strength of the Melayu and Islam, forgoing the more national agenda that includes every Malaysian. The entire Malaysian community that helps build this nation. This is wrong.

We have predicted that as far as UMNO and PAS is concerned, it is a battle of who is more Islamic. Gone are the days where their agenda was in full support of all other races. BN increasingly becomes divided.

On the matter of Islamic State, Najib claimed that we are an Islamic state prior to the elections. Then more recently, he claimed that we aren't. So which is it? So much evidence shows that UMNO has lost its way. They are torn as to whether they need to gather more Malay support to manage their sinking ship, or should they support a more national and perhaps secular agenda as the leader of the BN.

So what's the point in supporting the BN if they have lost their way and their clarity of their agenda? Change must come about, and it must come now. Anwar certainly does not promise an about turn change, as far as we are concerned, but it will be a fresh start. There will be changes and some difficulty for some in managing that change. However, this can be expected. Considering the options we have, we think that Pakatan Rakyat holds promise.

The message we, as the rakyat have sent BN is that we are serious about change and that we will not be taken for fools. Nobody really has much respect for Badawi or Najib, but yet, they, along with some bigwigs remain arrogant. Perhaps it's time we retire them to their mansions in England and Australia.

Today, the Rakyat have triumphed yet again, and it is obvious that we stand firm on our decision and need for change. Will UMNO now consider their misdeeds and the need for change?

Remember, by supporting Barisan, we effectively do the following:
1. We entrust our nation to Badawi, whose son-in-law, (as claimed by fellow UMNO comptriates) is power hungry and willing to do all sorts of things to show himself as the Malay-Ultra for purposes of party position. Khairy is also widely known to have some big businesses
2. We entrust our nation, for however long he can hang on to it, to Najib. The man who once uttered the words "bathe in Chinese blood" in the 1980s. See Wikipedia. Search Najib Tun Razak. We also entrust our nation to a man who has control of the Armed Forces, and who has held the position of Defence Minister for almost or more than a decade.

It is time we realise that some people, unlike Mahathir, hold very little vision for the nation or anyone else other than themselves.

It is time for change and we must endure the trials to come.

Tahniah Rakyat Permatang Pauh dan Rakyat Tersayang Malaysia!

News clips extracted:

Najib: Beware of Anwar

BUKIT MERTAJAM: Datuk Seri Najib Razak today reminded voters in Permatang Pauh not to be hoodwinked by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's promises as he was willing to validate anything to become prime minister.

"I can tell a lot about how he toppled the deputy prime minister then, the late Tun Ghafar Baba, who was also the Umno deputy president and who carried his (Anwars's) bag. You can guess what was in the bag when he was contesting the party elections. Full of money. Today, he talks about corruption," Najib said. -- Bernama

Battle for Permatang Pauh: 'We stand a fighting chance'

Barisan Nasional (BN) stands a fighting chance of wresting the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat from Parti Keadilan Rakyat, said the coalition's deputy chairman, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

"The impossible may materialise. BN supporters should not assume we don't stand a chance." Najib said BN had conducted a solid campaign since Aug 16 and ran a number of activities which increased its chances of winning. "We will not admit defeat and we will continue to strive till the end," Najib said on BN's chances in the by-election which takes place on Tuesday.Speaking after visiting an education and career exhibition here held in conjunction with the Pekan Fest 08, Najib, who is also deputy prime minister, said BN's election machinery should not let its guard down.

"I call upon our machinery to enhance our position and make sure this momentum turns the tide to BN."On the presence of Sabah BN leaders in Permatang Pauh on Friday night, Najib said this showed their strong support for the coalition."This shows the BN government is stable and will continue to exist."Najib said the statement by PKR's vice-president Datuk Jeffrey Kitingan that 13 BN MPs in the state would cross over to the opposition did not hold water.

Battle for Permatang Pauh: Anwar's time is over, says Shabery

BUKIT MERTAJAM: Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek said Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim must accept that the era of him becoming prime minister ended long ago.

He said the PKR candidate for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election had previously been chosen by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to join the government, and had been appointed acting prime minister before being expelled in 1998.

Anwar's claims that he would become prime minister on Sept 16 were merely wishful thinking, he said at a function at Kampung Tanjung Putus, near here yesterday.He urged the constituents in Permatang Pauh not to be swayed by claims that Anwar would become prime minister if he were to win the by-election tomorrow. -- Bernama

Massive RM80 mil to maintain 1,400 Government Perdana's - Solely Contracted to ONE Company

2008-04-17T22:42:00.016+08:00

It's either the Star tabloid is trying to play down the matter of the high maintainance Perdana V6 government cars (in view that they can be considered government controlled media), or the journalist who wrote the article can't count. Either way, how stupid do you think the Malaysian public is?

Based on the facts provided in the article. RM80,000,000 is the cost to maintain 1,400 Perdana V6 - annually. If you calculate this on excel or a simple calculator, the cost of maintaining each Perdana V6 is actually RM57,142.85. Compare this to what was quoted in the Star - RM12,000. Certainly a more reasonable figure to a majority of readers.

Therefore, on the matter of the high maintenance national car - $57,000 is quite a lot of money. There isn't a single car that costs that much to maintain, unless it's some sort of exotic sports car. Even then, 57K would probably mean you would fly the mechanic out from Italy - twice a year at least.

We think little needs to be said to add fuel to the fire. It's obvious that corruption is rooted deeply in the current government. For our government treasury to pay out such sums of money and not question it for all these years, one really wonders about so many other areas with large capital expenditure - such as defence, works and so on. To pay RM80 million to one company annually to maintain a local 2000cc V6 car is absurd. Furthermore, to not question it.

The failure rests in the government. They are likely to blame it on the company providing the services, however, someone on the government end, dealing with the procurement of the services of this company is certainly the person that needs to be investigated. The key for the ACA is to find a rat and see how deep the rabbit hole goes. We can be certain that there are many mouths to "feed" for a RM57K maintenance of a single Proton Perdana V6.

The Perdana gearboxes have always been a problem for the car. Testimony from friends and people in general, this is the main complaint. Mechanics will also tell you the same thing. A private mechanic told us that the gearbox is in the region of about 16K to replace - workmanship included. It's madness, because that is about the cost of any european car gearbox. Shouldn't a locally manufactured product be cheaper?

Protons are high maintenance cars. Frequent problems include issues with the electronics, power windows, gearboxes and just overall quality. If anyone chooses to deny this, then it's either they are a Proton owner, by virtue that they can't afford anything more or better, and they have succumbed to the poor standards of our fair nation's sub standard car - not even popular enough to be sold in 3rd world countries. Sad. One may argue that Protons are sold in many countries, but really, the figures are negligible.

Therefore, what is the government doing about it? The company that they have so heavily invested public funds in, by way of bailouts and equity held by Khazanah is not helping them by providing even the government with a quality vehicle that is reasonable to maintain and lives up to the standards and quality of a world class vehicle. Instead, parts are easily 3-4 times more expensive.

The most important thing is what the governement intends to do about the RM80 million that is used to maintain the vehicles. It's far too much, and a large portion of that money can be used to fund better education and opportunities for Malaysians.

We can be assured that this RM80 million for maintaining just 1,400 Perdana V6s, is only the tip of the iceberg.

Sunday July 27, 2008
RM80mil to maintain government cars
By EDDIE CHUA

KUALA LUMPUR: The Federal Government is paying RM80mil annually to Spanco Sdn Bhd to have the latter maintain its fleet of 1,400 Proton Perdana V6 Executives and other vehicles designated for official use.

This works out to about RM12,000 annually (WRONG!) to maintain each of the locally-made luxury-line Proton Perdana leased from Spanco.

On Friday, Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said called on the ACA to probe the high service charges imposed by Spanco.

The Perdanas were part of a fleet of 5,600 vehicles of various models and makes that Spanco, a vehicle fleet management company contracted to lease and maintain vehicles for ministers, top civil servants and senior government officials, made available to the Government.

The contract was inked in 1994 for the duration of 25 years as part of the Government’s privatisation exercise. It expires in 2019.

In that contract, the Government paid Spanco RM100mil a year to lease and maintain its entire fleet.

But in June 2003, Spanco and the Government returned to the negotiating table when the Finance Ministry found the contract awarded to Spanco in 1994 excessive. The Government appointed an international audit firm to look into Spanco’s books.

Under the revised agreement, the audit firm recommended the Government cut back the contract by 20% to RM80mil annually. Spanco chief executive officer Datuk Hamzah Mohd Salleh said the issue of cost overrun and high maintenance charges did not arise at all under the Government-Spanco deal.

“Any overrun would be borne by us,” he said, but declined to reveal the details of the package.
“We only leased the vehicles to the Federal Government. We don’t do the state governments’ business.”

A source told The Star that the Government was Spanco’s only customer.

Under the deal, the Government gets new Proton Perdanas every fourth year.

Malaysia's Sub-Standard Education System & Racial Discrimination in Varsities

2008-04-17T22:42:00.008+08:00

Finally, all in one day, a key issue that we have highlighted for Malaysia - Sub Standard Education, has come to light - not in one, but two articles as quoted in the Star. Written by a Malay man and one other, these articles summarise the level to which the Malaysian Education system has degraded to and what happens with the non-Malays when they are not accepted into local universities because of the quota system - driven mainly by the BN government's view of "Ketuanan Melayu".

A recent article quoted in the international media regarding some silly remarks made by the Kelantan Crown Price, further highlights the need to eradicate race based politics and to clearly enforce the Sedition Act, even on those who are so called playing to "right wing" politics.

Many in UMNO have also made derogatory remarks about other races and their desire for equality and their rights to be uplifted. But today, they sing a different tune, but do not be fooled dear citizen, they say what they say because they need to - for now. History shows where their loyalties lie and hence the sincerity of their word - beware the wolf in sheep's "clothes"...

For your reading pleasure and thoughts:

Article #1: Under threat? What threat?

BRAVE NEW WORLD By AZMI SHAROM

Since the recent general election, voices have risen up in a shrill warning cry that the Malays are now ‘under threat’. But perhaps the real threat is the threat to Umno hegemony.

AND so it begins. Race-based rhetoric has raised its ugly little head in response to a democratic process. Over 49% of the people of Malaysia have voted for parties that have rejected race-based affirmative action in favour of a needs-based platform.

It did not take very long for voices, both common and royal, to rise up in a shrill warning cry that the Malays are now “under threat”.

“Under threat” from what, may I ask? Let’s take a bit of time to look at this so-called “threat”. Firstly, Malays are given special protection under Article 153 of the Constitution.

Article 153 is titled “Reservation of quotas in respect of services, permits, etc, for Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak”. Article 152 states that Malay is the National Language. The Supreme Head of the Federation, according to Article 32, is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, a Malay ruler.

This is the foundation of Malay “special privileges”.

None of the Pakatan Rakyat component parties, including the DAP, have said anything about removing Articles 153, 152 and 32. They remain safe and secure with no sign whatsoever of any sort of threat.

Besides, in order to change it, you would need a two-thirds majority in the lower and upper houses of Parliament plus the support of the Conference of Rulers. The last time I checked, no one has a two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat.

Secondly, due to simple demographics, it is unlikely that a totally non-Malay party is ever going to win absolute control of the government. Of the five state governments in the hands of the Pakatan, four are led by a Malay Mentri Besar.

Penang is an exception, but Penang has been led by non-Malays since the 60s. Why was there was no outcry before this?

Thirdly, the proposed doing-away with the NEP (or whatever it is called nowadays), I suppose, can be seen as a threat to the Malays.

But how it can be a threat is beyond me, because the replacement suggested by the Pakatan is not some sort of laissez-faire capitalist economy. Instead, it is an economic system with affirmative action promised to those in need.

If the Malays are the largest group of people in Malaysia who are in the most need, then they will get the most help. If they are not in the most need, then why on earth do they need help then?

This is the point where I will get angry letters about how the NEP is needed; because in the business world – the real world which I know nothing about because I am just a lowly-academic trapped in my ivory tower – Malays are discriminated against by the Chinese. So we need a policy like the NEP to provide some balance.

I disagree.

If there are racist business policies being conducted against the Malays, then you face it head on with anti-discrimination laws.

If some person feels he is being discriminated against, no matter what his race, then let there be a law to help him, and let us punish the racists with a hefty fine or jail term.

You do not meet racism with racism; you challenge it by destroying all traces of it.

The problem with the NEP, as I see it, is that it breeds a mentality of entitlement based on race and not merit. This mentality seeps into governance, and it creates an atmosphere of mediocrity. One example of this is how the Constitution has been disregarded in relation to employment issues.

The Federal Constitution states that you can set quotas at the entry points of government services, for example, the civil service and public universities. However, this is counter-balanced by Article 136 that says all federal employees must be treated fairly regardless of race.

This means that once inside a service, everyone is to be treated equally based on merit. In such a situation, only the cream will rise to the top.

However, since the introduction of the NEP, the practice in government services has been to promote Malays mainly. This has in turn led to a drop in the number of non-Malay actors in the service of the public.

Taking my profession for example, the closeted unrealistic world of academia, I look down south and I see that 30% of the staff in the National University of Singapore Law School are Malaysians.

How come these clever fellows who are good enough to teach in a university that is among the top 20 in the world are not here in the land of their birth? Why are the blinking Singaporeans enjoying our talent? Is it because that talent is all non-Malay and they feel they have better opportunities there than here?

This is a complete waste, and in the end this loss of talent means a loss for the university, the country and the people of this country, including the Malay students who miss out on the best possible teachers.

Perhaps the real threat is the threat to Umno hegemony, in which case my answer to that is this: clean up your act, live up to your promises and listen to what the people are saying.
Make yourself electable by proving that you can create good government.

That is called democracy.

Dr Azmi Sharom is a law teacher. The views expressed here are entirely his own.

Article #1: Engineers of poor quality

I AM a manager in a chemical manufacturing firm in Malaysia. We often have vacancies for mechanical and chemical engineers, and occasionally electrical engineers. We do take in fresh graduates to train and develop for the future of our company.

In recent years, I have noticed a marked reduction in the quality of the engineering graduates. I would like to suggest that our local universities work with professional bodies such as Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) and Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) to address the weaknesses.

Some of the courses should be tailored to suit industrial requirements. BEM and IEM would be in the right position to work with the many universities we have here. Alternatively, they could come up with modules to be included in the engineering curriculum at our local universities.

With the advent of computers and simulation packages, another new problem is that fresh engineers seem at a loss to conduct design calculations from basic principles. They are over reliant on such computer packages.

When they start work, they are at a loss to do design work because some companies may not have such computer packages. Hence, even basic engineering calculations to determine the optimum pipe sizing and pump selection are beyond them.

These are basic engineering calculations, and without the necessary skills, we are left with design works that are sub-optimal, resulting in high operating costs for the users.

Alternatively, everyone would be running to consultants to get even the most basic of engineering work done for them.

In many of the plants I have been to, there is much that could be done to improve efficiency by just going back to good basic engineering practice. And in some cases, it’s just using good common sense.

I think there is a need to teach and emphasise on such basics. We should ensure that our young engineers are provided with good foundation knowledge for the future of our country.

After all, it is upon solid foundations that skyscrapers are built.

In this aspect, I must take my hat off to University Technology Petronas (UTP), which has formed an Industry Advisory Panel (IAP), and invites professionals from the industry to review their curriculum and suggest areas for improvement. UTP is serious about this and has implemented many of the suggestions introduced by its IAP.

UTP also has an adjunct lectures series where professionals are called in to give lectures to the undergraduates. I think these are good initiatives that other universities would do well to emulate.

SHYAM LAKSHMANAN,Lahat, Perak.

Nazri: "Umno did not lose. Don’t talk as if we lost"

2008-04-05T01:51:00.002+08:00

Minister in the PM's department, who was initially shocked at the losses suffered by the BN in the Election aftermath, who also said that he is lucky to have made it (win back his seat - by a much reduced margin), has found his footing after a few weeks of being in a "daze" and has quipped that UMNO did not lose and not to speak as it UMNO had lost.

Stressing that his victory in the Padang Rengas parliamentary seat was proof of that, Nazri said: “I won, I didn’t lose. If it had been any statements that I made, I would have lost.”
This comes from a man who was obviously quite grateful that he kept his seat by a small margin just after the elections - as quoted in the local Star. He has a short memory, and maybe needs a knock to remind him.

Well, yes, by virtue that the BN still has a slim majority, they did win, however, don't say that you didn't lose - because YOU DID! These election results are by far the lowest of all time, and you mean to say that you can arrogantly say that you didn't lose?

Further to that, you deny that you were also responsible for some pretty hard hitting remarks at other races, and making threats of "not pushing the Malays", that cost the BN support from the other communities?

Who do you think you are Datuk Seri Nazri? You are a Civil Servant! You SERVE us, the public! You are an elected official - by the people. You are just lucky that perhaps with some postal votes you saved your skin in the 2008 elections, perhaps you and the band of other idiots wouldn't be so lucky in the next elections.

Datuk Seri Nazri, you are the cause of friends and family of mine to have lost confidence in Pak Lah's leadership, the so called multi-racial stand of the BN and all that. We all voted the opposition - any opposition just to spite people like you. Because of you, your fellow UMNO colleagues lost their seats. People like Sharizat who works hard for the people became a victim of the people's anger towards BN - because of your stupid and insensitive comments and lack of deplomacy.

Datuk Seri Nazri, you do not belong in politics. You should consider another career. You have no respect for our former PM Mahathir who is a far superior man and politician compared to the one you are backing. Mahathir has done many things for Malaysia. What has Badawi done? In our eyes, all Badawi did was lose control of his party by not controlling the loudmouths such as yourself, and this eventually cost the credibility of the BN as a whole to be reduced to nothing.

See article from The Star:
Nazri denies he's quitting, says not to blame

PARIT BUNTAR: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz has denied talk that he is quitting his ministerial post.

He dismissed talk that he would resign to take responsibility for hard-hitting remarks he had made in the past that could have cost Umno and the Barisan Nasional support in the recently-concluded general election.

Nazri said the losses suffered had nothing to do with anything he had said.

Stressing that his victory in the Padang Rengas parliamentary seat was proof of that, Nazri said: “I won, I didn’t lose. If it had been any statements that I made, I would have lost.”

“Remember, Umno did not lose. Don’t talk as if we lost.”

However, he noted that the Barisan did lose some seats because it had stayed true to its promise on seat allocations among component parties.

“For example, we already knew that the Indian community did not support the MIC but still we kept to our promise.

“Umno did not take back the Malay-majority seats but allowed the MIC to contest although we could have won them,” he told reporters after handing out aid to 124 storm victims in his constituency here on Friday.

DPM Najib loses Tun Dr Mahathir's endorsement

2008-04-04T02:16:00.005+08:00

Quoted from the Straits Times of Singapore - Wednesday, April 2 2008

Some quotes on Mahathir about Badawi:

"Even his own state (Penang) was captured by the opposition. Never before did we have a Prime Minister from an "enemy" state. Is he not ashamed?"

"I know the candidate list did not come from the chief ministers. They brought the list to Sultan Abdullah Shah, and the list is taken to the office next door. It is inspected there (bu the so-called Fourth Floor Advisers) before being sent back to Sultan Abdullah."

"I admit I was a reason why the BN lost. I cannot support a leader who is not good for the country and party. I couldn't support all candidates but I said they should pick good people."

Mahathir no longer supports Najib for Prime Minister

Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad yesterday said he no longer supported Deputy Premier Najib Razak for prime minister.

At a raucousevent attended by more than 1,500 Umno members, he said: "Previously, I said Najib but I have changed my mind."

Tun Dr. Mahathir had called on his succesor, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, to resign and hand over power to Datuk Seri Najib the day after the ruling Barisan Nasional suffered unprecedented losses in the March 8 polls.

But the Deputy Premier himself quickly pledged loyalty to Datuk Seri Abdullah.

Last week, it is understood that the Prime Minister announced to Umno's governing council that Datuk Seri Najib would be his running mate at the UMNO election in December.

But while he withdrew his endorsement of Datuk Seri Najib, Tun Dr. Mahathir stopped short of saying which candidate he preferred.
The most credible challenge to Datuk Seri Abdullah could come from Kelantan prince Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah who has said he will take on the Prime Minister in the party polls.

But observers believe that Tun Dr Mahathir has moved a step closer to Tengku Razaleigh or Umno Vice President Muhyiddin Yassin as his choice for the top job.

And his support can be influential.

Despite the baggage that the 82 year old still carries from his own years as Prime Minister, his attacks on his successor over the last two years have caused Datuk Seri Abdullah serious damage.

The former premier, who launched his attacks against Datuk Seri Abdullah two years ago, has again become one of his harshest critics.

Indeed, it was Tun Dr. Mahathir who led the charge at yesterday's boisterous event held to analyse the electoral losses.

He urged the crowd, mostly Umno grassroots members to speak up to ensure an open contest for party president, who has traditionally also been Malaysia's prime minister.

The participants subsequently turned the event into an angry tirade against Datuk Seri Abdullah and his son-in-law Khairi Jamaluddin.

In fact, the event had the air of an opposition rally - except that it was Umno members expressing their disgust with their top leadership.

Shouts of "Hidup Mahathir" punctuated the noisy event, and calls for the Prime Minister's resignation were met with cheers.

Umno governing council member Mohd Khir Toyo, who defended the leadership by saying that a change of leaders would not help if the policies remained the same, was heckled.

An Umno Youth branch leader set off cires of "traitor" when he called for the return of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to the party. He was forcibly removed from the hall by two men.

There was standing room only inside the hall, and hundreds more crowded around a big screen outside.

Such anger at the grassroots is one of the many fires that the Prime Minister is struggling to put out, and his determination to stay in power is stirring up harsh criticism.

"I call on him to resign. Anyone else would have done so already but he is shameless. We must be brave to reject leaders who bring disaster to the party," Tun Dr Mahathir said.

His son Mukhriz Mahathir also spoke at the event, sayting that it was the leadership of Datuk Seri Abdullah which was dragging down UMNO. Datuk Mukhriz, an Umno Youth exco member is a newly elected MP.

Urging party leaders to shake off their fear of speaking up, he said: "I appeal to you, stand by me, for us to find a solution"

Tourism Minister Azalina Othman Starts Damage on Malaysian Tourism Industry

2008-04-04T01:55:00.002+08:00

Former Youth and Sports Minister, known for her silly remarks on the Singapore Formula One race (quoted in an earlier article in this site), has unanimously decided to deny the State of Selangor and other opposition governed states by ceasing support of tourism development in those states.

It awfully silly to deny states like Selangor and Penang, which are among the most industrialised states in the nation, support from the Ministry of Tourism just because of a change in leadership. It only goes to show the miopic view of this particular minister, and the lack of any strategic thinking whatsoever.

What does she think the Federal Government has to gain from pulling out tourism funding in these states? Does she think that the residents of those states will feel the pinch and therefore feel fearful and thus in turn support the Barisan Nasional coalition next time? Is Azalina so naieve to think that she can teach the general population of those states a lesson by denying them further economic growth by way of tourism? We think not.

Potentially, this will just anger people further and prove to the majority opposition voters in those states that their decision was correct and that the Barisan Nasional government not only lacks the capability to lead the country to economic growth and social stability, but also that the Barisan Nasional doesn't have the strategic sense to see the long term benefits of being benevolent to those citizens who do not necessarily support them.

At this point, all Azalina has done is proven to the general public that they had made the right decision in either voting the opposition or not voting at all. And for those who voted BN, perhaps they will soon see the errors of their judgement.

When the cabinet was reshuffled Azalina was someone many expected to see removed. She proved to be useless in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, there was no greater progression for our youth, except more vice. And as for our sportsmen and women, no different from her predecessor.

So why is Azalina still there? She is hardly impressive when she speaks, she doesn't seem to be a wonderful role model for the youth, she's just an average and mediocre minister like some others in the PM's cabinet.

Now, PM Badawi has put her in a position where she can cause some economic damage, due to her inexperience and incompetence.

The people shouldn't take situations like this lightly. It basically says that our government promotes mediocrity, ie. people like Azalina, and hence, this is the end result.

Perhaps the BN needs a few more lessons by the voters to teach them to pick the right people to lead the country.

Selangor govt says move by Tourism Minister foolhardy
Thursday, April 3, 2008

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor Government strongly feels that Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said’s decision to terminate all tourism memorandum of understanding with Opposition-ruled states as foolhardy.

Tourism, Consumer Affairs and Environment state chairman Elizabeth Wong said such a decision is reckless for the Federal Government especially to sideline Selangor, which is the gateway into the country and a premier destination.

On Wednesday, Azalina had said that the decision was due to the change in leadership in the state governments that was in line with the termination of the Tourism Action Council in the states.

Wong said Selangor is one of the top destinations in the nation’s first stop for most international tourist and to sideline other states like Penang, Perak, Kelantan and Kedah is not wise.

“Initially, we had been looking forward to working with the Tourism Ministry for the betterment of the industry and the country. Selangor accounts for some 30% of the national Gross Domestic Product and this callous move might have adverse impact on our national economy as well as the industry,” she said.

She added that one should not cut off one’s nose to spite one’s face.

“For us in Selangor we will persevere in supporting the tourism industry and this in fact gives us a better opportunity to work even more closely with the private sector. We are committed to improve and to develop the tourism sector in the state in several new initiatives in eco-tourism and heritage tourism,” she said.

Wong also called upon Selangorians to visit the state’s historical attractions and push forward the industry with a greater zeal in the light of this development.

Policemen Rape Chinese National in a Patrol Car

2008-04-02T18:13:00.003+08:00

Yet another rape case in Malaysia. So much so, our country is becoming synonymous with rape. So much so, that even the very people who are supposed to be protecting the innocent and incarcerating the guilty are now taking part in this vicious act of inhumane violence.

So the big question is, what are the penalties in Malaysia for rape? What does the Malaysian government do to ensure that we deter potential rapists from indulging in these horrendous acts of violence towards women?

One word - NOTHING.

Police statistics in country show that rape cases have been on the rise year on year for the past decade and more. However, the police makes excuses saying that it's because of population growth and the introduction of foreign workers that brings about vice.

Well, now the policemen - whom many are corrupt and still continue to be corrupt (even after a change of uniform with the words "Integrity" on it), are now into brutalising and battering people. Now evidenced by this new rape case of a Chinese national.

So, what is the government doing about this? The laws haven't changed to be any more severe, the penalties are varied, some get 3 years jail, some get 20 years jail, some even get whipping.

Where is the consistency in the application of the law, where is the deterence for wannabe rapists to not partake in these violent acts?

So again, what is our government doing about this major issue? Perhaps, like all other things, it will take a daugter or a wife of some Datuk or Datuk Seri to be brutally raped and maybe even murdered before something serious is done. Only in the harshest of situations affecting individuals in government, will they wake up to the every day realities that the rest of us "lay-people" live in.

The penalties for rape among many other vices like kidnapping and murder must be amended to something significantly harsher.

As a Muslim nation, perhaps the Hudud laws will best serve such crimes. This basically means castration for rape and the chopping of limbs beginning with the hands for theft. For crimes like murder, stoning to death by the community.

Brutal as it may sound, the fact is, the laws in Malaysia today are not applicable to the exponential increase of such crimes.

In the 1960s, when kidnapping was common in Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew made death the penalty for kidnapping. Virtually overnight, it stopped and the number of kidnappings reduced significantly.

So the question is, what will the Barisan Nasional government do about this? Now that their power hangs in the balance? Will they make more empty promises about reducing crime and really not doing anything about it? Or will they amend the laws to better protect its citizens?

RISING CRIME is one of the reasons why BN nearly lost the elections - is BN certain that they want to take this lightly and not give it due attention? Their own Policemen are now raping foreigners.

We'll bet that over the next few weeks there will be no closure to this case in the media and it will die a natural death - and people will soon forget it ever happened. Like all other major rape cases, there is never any clear ending and the public gets no peace of mind or closure knowing that the criminals got what they deserve.

This is the unfortunate state Malaysia is in. The winds of change are coming, and the Barisan Nasional has to work extra hard to ensure the people are completely satisfied.

Two cops held over rape
NST: 02-04-08

KUALA LUMPUR: A trip here turned into a nightmare for three women from China when one of them fell to her death while another was allegedly raped by two policemen.

The three women, from Hunan, China, had arrived here three days ago and stayed at a budget hotel in Jalan Pudu.On Tuesday night, two of them decided to go out for supper and left the third woman in the hotel room.

Their friend, however, fell to her death from the fifth floor of the hotel about midnight.When the women returned to the hotel about 3am, they were surprised to find a number of policemen in the lobby. Unaware that the victim was their friend, the women decided to wait outside the hotel for the police to complete their investigations.

While they were standing outside the hotel, a police patrol car stopped near one of the women. She was then allegedly bundled into the patrol car before it drove off.

Her friend, however, noticed the incident and together with a Malaysian friend who had a car, they tailed the patrol car. However, the patrol car managed to evade them.

The 42-year-old woman who was abducted claimed that she was taken to a secluded area by the two policemen.

She said she was molested by one of them. The other policeman ordered her to strip and raped her in the back seat of the patrol car.

The policemen then robbed her of her handphone and money before sending her back to the hotel about 4am.

The traumatised victim related her ordeal to her friend and lodged a police report about 2pm yesterday. She was later sent to Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia for a medical examination.

Following police investigations, a constable in his 20s and a lance corporal in his 40s were arrested. It is learnt that both suspects are married.

City CID chief Senior Assistant Commissioner II Ku Chin Wah confirmed the incident but declined to elaborate as investigations were ongoing.

Police are also looking into how the other woman fell to her death.

Pie in Face: Penang Petty Traders Association tells UMNO not to Politicise NEP

2008-03-16T21:57:00.003+08:00

Surprise surprise... perhaps the first bit of evidence showing that the Bumiputras either haven't benefitted from the NEP or that UMNO is only holding back Malay potential to play on a leveled playing field.

Of late the PM and all his men have been playing up the issue of the NEP being removed by the DAP and Keadilan. However, one will notice that although the new (Malay and Keadilan Party Backed) Menteri Besar of Selangor has strongly supported the move to abolish the NEP, the PM and UMNO has been playing the racial card by making statements in the media that Malays will be sidelined in Penang and there will be a backlash. Statements they may be, but statements of sowing anger into the hearts of the Malays is what it potentially does. Strangely, they avoided picking on Keadlian for the same stand, but made it all about the (Chinese) DAP's intention to abolish the NEP.

We aren't accusing UMNO of anything, but what has already been reported in the government backed newspapers of The Star and the New Straits Times. And to the layman who thinks about it for a moment, it seems like a racial card is being played by the very people who advocated not to in the not so recent past.

Take a read of an article quoted in the Star today:

Bumiputra traders back open tender policy
By DERRICK VINESH

BUTTERWORTH: The Penang Bumiputera Petty Traders Association is appealing to state Umno leaders to not politicise the state government’s intention to practise an open tender policy for contracts and projects.

Its chairman Alif Abdul Mutalib Kader, 64, said such a policy would benefit all races, including the Malays.

“Through an open tender policy, we believe there will be equal benefits for all businessmen to have a share in the state’s economy pie.

“The state Umno leaders should think twice before demonstrating in the streets. They should give the new state government a chance to be transparent and fair in its administration,” said Alif who came to The Star’s office in Prai on Sunday to air the association’s views.

UMNO Protesters... Oh, How the Tables Have Turned...

2008-03-14T23:59:00.006+08:00

Khairi Jamaluddin, UMNO Deputy Youth Chief, once called the HINDRAF protesters "Monkeys" for demonstrating their discontent in the streets. Yet he was seen demonstrating with 5000 people in the heart of the city, demanding to speak to the US Secretary of State. Unscathed by the police, he emerged a hero for all Muslims as he was seen to be fighting for Palestinian rights.

Perhaps he was unscathed because he is the "Untouchable" son-in-law of the Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi. Perhaps it was because he is an UMNO Youth Leader. Perhaps it was because he was fighting for Muslim rights. Perhaps because of all this, he is seen as fighting for what Malaysia perceives to be right wing political topics, and so it's OK.

Whatever the case may be, these are the double standards that plague our Barisan Nasional that is representative of cronyism and the belief that Malay Rights stand paramount over any other race's rights.

Today, while the nation has nearly voted the Barisan Nasional out of power, the new state governments are adamant on delivering on their pledges that they will abolish the National Economic Policy. The DAP isn't the only party saying this, Keadilan and PAS are also keen on abolishing the policy that has long been regarded as only benefiting the UMNO Malays or those who fall within special circles that are privy to the fruits of the NEP. The youth, like Khairi are beneficiaries of this privilege - and people like him will want to safeguard this safety net that has protected over 3 generations. The Malaysian population is now dominated by Malays by a sheer 70%.

So, how then is the remark by UMNO leaders, saying that the Malays will be marginalised by the dismantling of the NEP - true or possible? For more than 3 generations, they have provided themselves with privileges such as free education, a larger quota of places in the local Universities, special privileges in business and even a special discount for purchasing property.

UMNO should explain to the Malaysian public how it is possible that for about 40 years, Malays have been enjoying this special privilege and they still need it because their equity compared to other races is still below the 30% mark?

This being the case, how much longer does this have to go on? The question they should be asking themselves, by making things easier for Malays to develop as a race, isn't it possible that they have handicapped the Malay will to want to meet challenges and work hard to overcome them?

We believe that it is more the latter that is the cause of Malays not meeting the mark, than some lame excuse that the Chinese are quick to steal opportunities from the Malays.

Throughout history and the world's social development, it is a known fact that the underprivileged are stronger than the privileged. The simple reason being that they have always had to work harder for what they want, and thus see things from a very different perspective, not to mention, the underprivileged are hungry for opportunities to rise the social ladder.

The Malay of today have a lackluster attitude, and have a perspective that they are greater than they really are - but sadly, perhaps only in Malaysia. On a global scale, many won't be able to compete because the competition out there doesn't wait or have special privileges for those crutched by racially biased beliefs that they need things a certain way in order to succeed.

In the not so distant past, Mahathir also said on many occasions that the NEP will eventually be abolished, and that the Malays are not helping themselves. Though he may sing a different tune today - to meet his political ends with the Malay people, one musn't forget that Badawi was also for levelling the playing field during and just after the 2004 elections. But neither of our Prime Ministers had the courage to do the right thing, for fear of being ousted by UMNO party members.

So, it now takes a great lesson such as this, whereby the voters, fed up with years of being marginalised - Malay, Chinese and Indian, united against UMNO and Barisan Nasional, voted them out.

This should be a wake up call for UMNO and the PM... but sadly, the mentality hasn't changed much. Today, you will hear of Badawi sowing the seeds of anger in the hearts of the Malays, making statements that they will be marginalised if the NEP were to be abolished.

One person even said (Quoted in the Straits Times, 14 March 08) that, the Malaysian Malays will be marginalised like the Singapore Malays (if the NEP were non existent). Hah! What utter rubbish! Our Singapore Malay brothers think that the Malaysian Malays are lazy and stupid, they also think that the NEP isn't helping. If UMNO wants to make comparisons like that, they better get their facts right. The Singapore Malay is playing on a level playing field, they succeed on their own merit, they are smart, hardworking and see things from a International view. One to one, they are stronger than their Malaysian brothers many times over - and they are happy and proud of their achievements.

One could say that UMNO is now interfering in the racial politics in Singapore. They best not make such comparisons and not interfere in affairs that they have no understanding of. If so, the Singaporean Malay will be packing his bags and coming to Malaysia to enjoy the NEP. Why would a man or a woman who is fully capable of standing on his/her feet want to subject themselves to a wheelchair?

So today, instead of HINDRAF or Keadilan pounding the streets and protesting, what we see are UMNO members (who once upon a time said that protesting is not the Malaysian way, and even led by Khairi), protesting in the streets.

But why doesn't the police arrest some of the protesters? They arrested HINDRAF men, women and children for a lot less. Actually, just for showing up. Therefore, what is the Ministry of Home Affairs doing about this, are they involved, have they held off the usual beatings of protesters just because these are UMNO members - fighting for "right wing" views?

Little has changed in UMNO, they are still proud and arrogant - but now, they have resorted to taking to the streets - a sign of desperation. Only time will tell whether they are truly capable and sincere in re-engineering themselves.

Group protests outside S’gor secretariat
By DHARMENDER SINGH

SHAH ALAM: A small group of people marched from the state mosque to the state secretariat building here Friday to protest against DAP’s decision to abolish the New Economic Policy (NEP).
(This sounds familar...)

The participants started to gather at the roundabout near the mosque just after Friday prayers at about 2.30pm and were seen standing at the side of the road carrying banners.

The protesters stopped right in front of the line formed by the police Light Strike Force (LSF) members, about 150m from the main entrance to the building, but continued with their cries. They left peacefully about 20min later.
(They should have been beaten and shot at with tear gas and water cannons - the norm in dealing with other HINDRAF, Keadilan & Bersih protestors)

Shah Alam Deputy OCPD Deputy Supt Mohd Shariff Abdul Wahid said police were aware of the planned gathering and confirmed that no permit had been issued for it.
(They should have been arrested... again the norm for dealing with people who break the law)

“The secretariat building is a protected government building so we stationed 50 men there including two units of the LSF as a precautionary measure,” he said.

He said the protesters, who belonged to a political party, had asked to meet with Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim but the police did not permit this due to security concerns.
(A political party? Can't be the opposition, can't be MCA or MIC - we don't think they care about the NEP. So it has to be UMNO members. Maybe it's because they are UMNO members that they weren't shot at, sprayed and arrested. How irresponsible of UMNO, it's OK for them to protest and hold illegal gatherings (like the example set by Khairi Jamaluddin), but any other group or party that does this will be arrested. UNFAIR!)

Badawi not keen to drop the NEP

2008-03-13T22:44:00.005+08:00

Quoted from the Straits Times of Singapore, March 11 2008:
... Flanked by BN component party leaders at a press conference yesterday, he played down the failure to obtain a two-thirds majority in Parliament. When first asked about it, he retorted:
"In what way is it so vital?", "As far as we are concerned, we are not so crazy to be wanting to get two-thirds".

Hmmm... that's strange, perhaps Badawi and his advisors are having a major blonde moment. We will all recall that BN fought tooth and nail, dragged the opposition contenders names through the mud with media blitz, not to mention the numerous quipps by BN contenders that 2/3ds majority is in hand... which later turned into... if we don't get 2/3ds majority, the people will suffer the consequences.

Furthermore, this comment by Badawi is certainly not in line with the more level headed MCA President: "We never thought the outcome would be like this. We will not blame the voters. We will take note of the strong message the voters have sent us this time and at the same time, we will deliver what we have promised the people".

Much better, it's obvious that some people have learned their lesson... but the target was really UMNO, not MCA.

But the remark by Badawi is shocking, it shows that UMNO still believes they are all powerful and unaffected by their dismal results and poor public approval ratings. So it looks like little is going to change on that front. Guess we will just have to handover the entire elections in 4 years time to the opposition, provided they perform - which there is no reason why they shouldn't.

Worst of all, Badawi indicated that, Quote: "He did indicate, however, that he would not do away with the remnants of the New Economic Policy (NEP), which many had deemed pro-Malay".

This is strange, I think we can all recall that Badawi was not long ago, for the systematic dismantling of the NEP. But today, he changes his story. Why? Best guess, Badawi is playing the racial card (like the rest of his UMNO colleagues). Now that they have lost favor with the Malays, he seems top be offering them a reason to come back, and he thinks that by singing songs of old, the NEP, that they will support him? Guess again.

Just today Badawi warned the DAP that dismantling the NEP in Penang will bring about economic strife to the Malays in Penang, and Lim Guan Eng will be fanning racial tensions because the Malays will be marginalised.

So who is sewing the seed of anger in the hearts of people?

All Guan Eng is doing is putting a stop to the NEP in terms of government tenders and ensuring that government tenders are open for all. How is this removing Malay rights? Besides, this has been a highly unpopular policy with the non-Malays, and these days Malays alike.

Besides, in spending public monies, shouldn't the tender be open to all? And not question whether you are Bumiputra or Non-Bumiputra, and whether 30% of your workforce is made up of Bumiputras. Perhaps this is why we have sub-standard build quality, town planning and so forth. Because the contractors, some Malay company knows that regardless of what they do, they are promised the contract under the NEP. How will we progress this way? How can we be world class?

Shouldn't the contract be awarded to the company presenting the best quality at the lowest price? These days, if you ever spoke to anyone having dealings with government departments, you'd come to understand that things, be it services, tangible items and so on, are purchased with taypayers money at highly inflated prices.

Just last year, the local papers covered the Auditor General's report which highlighted the purchase of numerous things at ridiculous prices. ie. Screwdriver set = RM300+ (real value RM30), 2 pcs. 3.2 megapixel digital cameras = RM8,000+ (real value RM1,500). Yet they are purchased, and someone is making a lot of money in between. That series of articles were quickly stopped after 3-4 days of reports.

Therefore, the DAP's idea of practicing open tenders in Penang is definately a good way forward for better management of government expenses and hence public funds.

So, the Prime Minister who claims that he is a "PM for All", is really just a fallacy, because his actions speak volumes of what his true intentions are - and that of UMNO.

UMNO should really stop being a spoiled sport and not fan racial sentiments and let the Opposition do what they promised the very people who voted for them. Unless, of course, UMNO is afraid that it might actually work out.

UMNO really needs to reinvent itself and offer the Malays something more without denying the poorer Malays opportunities, and the rest of the minority races as well.

Badawi Denies Khairi is a Key Factor in Barisan's Poor Performance

2008-03-13T01:23:00.005+08:00

Quoted from The Star, 11 Mar 2008 - To a question on whether Barisan’s performance this time was hampered by son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin, Abdullah denied this, saying that Khairy “is not an influence in whatever I do.”

“He is not the one who says, 'Baba, please accept this. This one you must do.’ He does not do that,” he said.

Perhaps it may be true that he doesn't influence the father-in-law in the aspects of policy and business dealings. Even then, how will we ever know whether there is any truth in that statement?

Based on the evidence the people have, Khairi has business dealings in ECM Libra and Scomi to name a few. These companies have prospered in the recent years, either by way of market forces or perhaps on the sole basis that Khairi Jamaluddin is the son-in-law of the Prime Minister, who's to say the the indirect (or direct) influence of the Prime Minister didn't have something to do with it. Notwithstanding Khairi's rise in UMNO, being Deputy Youth Chief and now potentially an Minister in Parliament, certainly must have been due, at the very least - somewhat - to the matter that the Prime Minister is his father-in-law.

Further evidence such as the widely known personal agenda of Khairi Jamaluddin to become Prime Minister (seldom boasted by even sons and grandsons of former Prime Ministers) is certainly in line with his quick rise in the party. Perhaps he is as capable as some people think he is, or perhaps it's all but an illusion, formed on the basis that he has a fancy degree, has many companies, and whose father-in-law is the Prime Minister. I believe many have seen their fair share of people with fancy degrees, inherited wealth or influence and a smart mouth, with little else to offer the people but a lot of hot air.

But really, nobody is really looking at this matter from another perspective. Khairi's rise in power and in government is really due to his father-in-law's influence (not the other way around). The fact that he is part of the family is enough to deter many from challenging him, for he may and could be someone people may need to answer to some day - or be at his mercy. Therefore, politically speaking, it's not really a good idea to challenge him, either from matters of the state, party politics or even business, because if things continue as they are, Khairi has the potential to rise to a position high enough whereby he will eventually have some real influence of his own.

Think about it, during the Asean Summit in 2007, Khairi led a mob of 5000 Mat Rempit's to the KLCC Convention Centre and demanded to handover a memorandum to the US Secretary of State, and when denied the opportunity, he violently pushed his way through, fighting the police and even got as far as entering the building. There was not one scratch on him. He wasn't beaten or even jailed for breaking the law as there was no permit to hold a public gathering.

How is this possible? When Anwar Ibrahim was jailed in 1997, the police beat demonstrators for a lot less. When HINDRAF brought their women and children out to demonstrate peacefully for their rights, the police, as we understand it drew first blood with the first shot of tear gas and water cannons. Khairi went directly against the police and the law, and he was untouched.

Perhaps we should now refer to Khairi as "The Untouchable" now, after the mafia movie of the 80s.

So when the Prime Minister says that there is no influencing going on, we say it's a blatent LIE.

By virtue that Khairi is related to the Prime Minister, he shouldn't be holding any public office or even high posts in UMNO. He quickly becomes a liability to both UMNO and Prime Minister on the sole basis that he is a relative, he is rising fast and he's obviously what is referred to as a Malay Ultra with ambitions.

If Badawi were smart, he would not include Khairi in his cabinet and seek for him to step down from his UMNO post immediately. There is something called conflict of interest and that is what this is. It is usually never direct, but the mere fact that the PM condones the possibility of conflict of interest, is very dangerous for this can create a trend of certain powerful families leading the government.

Say what you like about our former PM Mahathir, but at least the man had the integrity and perhaps wisdom not to allow for any such accusation to befall him and his sons. Mukhriz Mahathir was not an MP until this election, and Mahathir had always deterred his children from taking public office for reasons that he is PM.

The integrity of UMNO and the PM is clearly at stake, it would be mighty foolish of Badawi not to recognise the danger of his son-in-law destabilising the party, the PM's position and potentially the country with his radicalism and ambition.

UMNO, it's time we clean our house. The public must believe that our intentions are sincere and that we will be effective, with effective people leading the party and country. Conflict of interest, will undermine the public view of UMNO.

Do the right thing... or get pushed out sooner or later - which will effectively be an even more tragic end with greater consequences. So let's see how responsible Badawi is going to be.

Barisan Gets a Slap in the Face from the Rakyat

2008-03-09T04:37:00.004+08:00

Tahniah Rakyat Malaysia! Your message to the national coalition has been delivered, with an even greater force than expected. So, the Silent Majority that Barisan Nasional always banked on, has deserted them. This is a sign of the people's deep dissatisfaction with what has gone on in the past 4 years.

At this very moment, some of our BN leaders who have been slayed, or colleagues of the same, are reporting to the media that they they can't say what has gone wrong and that it will require some analysis. What is there to analyse?

I believe that we can collectively answer that question... in general, the BN didn't take many things seriously:

1. The rights of the minority groups, ie. the Chinese and Indians. So far, only the Indians have protested openly, however, the Chinese, as usual won't really choose to take to the streets, but we believe spoke through their votes, whereby Chinese political representative stalwarts were replaced by an array of Indians, Chinese and Malays from Keadilan or DAP.
2. The BN's inability to address key issues around not only the marginalisation of the minority races, but the minority religious groups as well. Ie. Buddhists, Hindus and Christians. In previous articles, all based from articles published in the local newspapers and some regional press, it has been obvious that over the past decade, the propogation of any other religion but Islam was stifled. How many new temples are built? How many new churches have been built? Applications to build were not approved or sidelined, but at the same time, DBKL and state governments build mosques using public funds to sponsor the development of a more Islamic Malaysia. All good and well, we as muslims, christians, buddhists and hindus would never complain about such things, but if this is so, then it must be equal
3. Some people accuse those in BN of corruption, although there has been no clear evidence of it, considering some of the widely publicised indulgences of certain individuals in the past 2 years, have shown how widespread it is.
4. The insensitivity of certain party leader's and minister's comments about other ethnic groups; ie. Khairi Jamaluddin (UMNO youth deputy chief) and Nazri (Minister in PM's Department). These two individuals alone caused a lot of damage to UMNO by their racially charged comments, to the extent of warning the chinese not to push the Malays. This followed by Hishamuddin's (UMNO youth chief) drawing of the kris to symbolise Malay power, did not auger well with the people.

The above spiral and branch out into a variety of other issues that plague our country. Our people have been divided by these words and this thinking and the government under Badawi did little to mediate and mitigate.

While BN has been distracting the people with raising issues around HINDRAF and the promise of better security, the Iskandar Development Region and so forth, these issues were sidelined and not considered seriously, or if anything, not addressed.

So BN, this is the price you will have to pay. Sharizat made a comment in the media that the people have done this to "teach BN a lesson", and "they have to accept the consequences" (as BN has lost the 2/3 majority). Again, threats. No, we don't want to hear anymore threats. Not especially from a party stalwart who has been ousted by a young lady with hardly any experience who is half her age. Not to mention, in an urban constituancy where many educated and wealthy individuals live.

Do not threaten the people anymore. BN must accept their defeat and clean their house. Out with the old policies of favouritism, out with the arrogance of being in power for 50 years, and start working for the people, not dwell on some rhetorical rubbish and treat the public like they are stupid.

Times have changed, the new generation of Malaysians are better educated, and have a lesser tolerance for mediocrity.

Many of us were raised to support BN because we were promised peace, harmony and equality. We don't think that any of that is true. Perhaps on the surface it may seem so, but the racial divide is there, and it grows. But, typical of the Malaysian way, our leaders would wait until it blows up in their face before they decide they have a problem.

Malaysians today have taken drastic measures and great risks in bringing in a stronger opposition to hopefully quell the overly arrogant and Malay Rights "crazed" Barisan Nasional. We are all watching and hoping that this decision is the right one. If not, well, this now shows that anyone is expendable and we have discarded our loyalties for merit and performance.

Khairi said today that "we will fight back". Well, you may have that chance, only if BN reinvents itself and the Opposition DOESN'T prove itself to be able to deliver.

Everyone is expendable. Times have changed, people have changed.

Indian Uprising in Kuala Lumpur

2007-11-27T10:16:00.000+08:00

A Indian-Hindu rally organised by HINDRAF (Hindu Rights Action Front) on Sunday was denounced by the Malaysian Government as being violent and damaging to racial relations.

This is even though the demonstration was not actually directed at the Malaysian Government, but in a show of support for the handing over of a memorandum to the British High Commission seeking the Queen's assistance to provide a council to fight for the minority Malaysian-Indian communities rights.

The police had denied HINDRAF a permit to proceed with the gathering, but HINDRAF decided to proceed in the fight for their rights regardless.

However, consider this, the Prime Minister Badawi's son-in-law, Khairi Jamaluddin, who is also supposed to be a respected Deputy Chief of the UMNO youth, had previously held an "illegal gathering" (though we are not sure whether a permit was approved, but can't imagine why it would have been given as it was during the ASEAN summit). Khairi, as shown, fought against the police, shouted what some other people can deem to be "seditious" (depending on who is feeling emotional about it), rallied support from the Mat Rempit (gangster motorcyclists who perform street racing), and best of all, managed to push his way through the FRU (Federal Reserve Unit - Riot Police in Red) and got through unscathed.

Compare that with the recent HINDRAF demonstrations, and you will see the unfairness and preferential treatment that a person gets for fighting for Malay-Muslim rights rather than the minority Indian-Hindus.

A picture speaks a thousand words, watch both videos below and you decide whether there is justice.

HINDRAF Demonstration for Indian-Hindu Rights

UMNO Youth (Led by Khairi Jamaluddin) Demonstration for Palestinian-Muslim Rights

Observe the show of force by Khairi and his gang, and compare that with the Al-Jazeera news report on the Indians. Who made the first aggressive moves?

In the case of the Indians, they retaliated when they were shot at with tear gas and water cannons. Were they the first aggressors? Who's to say? But from what we can see, it's not clear that they drew first blood.

In the case of Khairi, he was allowed to go as far as forcing his way through the Riot Police, and he wasn't even hit once. We suppose that has something to do with him being part of UMNO and also being the son-in-law of the Prime Minister.

In all fairness, how is this a democratic and fair nation? Where one race and religion can be accorded a great deal of preference over any other, where the leaders of that race are given a free hand to do as they please, break the law and not even get repremanded?

In Malaysia, it seems that it is only "seditious" if it is a racial or religious issue that affects Malays or Muslims, but who's to say that it is NOT seditious to accuse the "West" of opressing Muslims (in view of Palestine) and causing an uprising of Malay-Muslims against the West, and in the case above, against the US Secretary of State, when she is in the country? Isn't it potentially dangerous to the lives of Americans and other westerners? Doesn't this cause a certain degree of "hate" towards them? Could that potentially bring harm to them?

I think the answer is Yes to the above. If so, isn't it Seditious?

It is time for this sort of one sided nonsense ends. It stops with the removal of UMNO from power.

If only Keadilan and DAP can get their act together, join forces, leave PAS out of the picture and be a formidable competitor for Barisan votes. The ball rests in Keadilan's park, they need to decide where they stand. Either as a radicalised UMNO type party, or a party that is true to upholding the multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-religious principles that this country was founded on. This is not a country for the Malays only. This country is for everyone.

Some Malays think that this is their country and everyone else can leave if they don't like it. This country was built with the combined efforts of the Chinese, Indians, Malays and all the other smaller communities. We fought for our independence together. Today, some Malays think that the rights of the minorities can be ignored?

We don't think so.

Malaysian Chinese Population Declines to 25%

2007-11-08T12:22:00.000+08:00

In a census just beyond 2000, I heard that there were approximately 32% ethnic Chinese in Malaysia. This, at the time was alarming enough as we were closer to 40% in the earlier days. Today, it is reported at as of 2005, there are only 25% and the number continues to reduce.

Why is this? I think everyone knows the answer why. Non Malays in Malaysia are being systematically marginalised to make way for fellow Malays who need not get things like scholarships by merit. It is practically presented to them on a silver platter, regardless if they are deserving or not.

For this, non-Malays who are affluent or can afford to, either immigrate their entire families to mainly Australia or New Zealand or they go West. Many send their children abroad and encourage them to take up the PR/Green Card and they eventually end up settling there. Country's like Australia and even Singapore have repatriation immigration laws to make it easy for one to bring their families over.

Why do people do this? It's mainly because they all feel that they are increasingly becoming third class citizens in their own country. A country they helped build to what it is today, and they are very slighted. Furthermore with the increasingly unbending malay majority government, racial and religious issues are increasing. And since certain leaders in government have been telling the Non-Malays who are unhappy that they can leave, so they have.

Frankly, the Chinese have contributed significantly to the country's economy. However, the government has long forgotten the value of the Chinese hardworkingness and efficiency.

For this, people are leaving and they will continue to leave. Those who leave, really hate Malaysia and leave with a bad taste in their mouths. They would be least likely to ever return or even want to assist or contribute to any part of the Malaysian economy.

But perhaps this is good for Malaysia as a whole. Eventually the chinese population will shrink so much, that to get competant workers, they will need to import them from other countries on an expatriate basis. But to do this and to get the calibre of workers that a country like Singapore can get, you'll need to pay well and the system would definately need to be changed from one that feeds the Malay patronage, to one that rewards based on merit.

This will either have an impact on the Malays in the sense that they will either step up to the challenge and improve themselves or they will be crushed and pushed out by the foreigners.

The Malays should stop thinking that the country owes them a living and that they are going to enjoy these benefits forever. Malaysia is hardly world class, even though we have tall buildings and a national car (that is 3rd rate). Malaysia will never be world class so long as they protect their own agaist competition, either with other races or other nations/nationalities.

As they say, Malaysia - First Class facilities, Third Class mentality...

Sooner or later the Malays will need to wake up and step up to the challenge. There is a reason why all the world's biggest multinationals park their regional offices in Singapore and not Malaysia, it's simply because they will not be forced to take in some lame bumiputra employee who cannot perform and fulfill that quota. So, again, it's Malaysia's loss.

My Singaporean Malay friends say, "Malaysia has so much potential, and so many natural resources - and land. But it is really wasted because the Melayus are so bodoh and slow, that they never move fast to act on things. But it is good for us, because Singapore will benefit on those opportunities that Malaysia is slow to take up."

Extracted from the Straits Times of Singapore:

Make more babies, Chinese in Malaysia told

Malaysia's chinese population should make more babies to arrest the community's falling birth rate, politicians say.

State Urban Development and Tourism Minister Wong Soon Koh said the community's lower birth rate had resulted in the country's Chinese population plunging from 37% in 1957 to 25% in 2005.

"This will slip further to 24% by 2010 and to 19% by 2030," he warned at the United Chinese Association's 30th Anniversary dinner on Saturday.

He did not say what the birth rate was, but there are currently less than 7 million ethnic Chinese amoung the country's 27 million population.

Datuk Wong also voiced concern at the high migration rate of the Chinese to other countries.

He urged the community to boost the birth rate and to enrol their children for tertiary education in Malaysia instead of sending them abroad. "There are good colleges and universities in the country to cater for the local population. There is no need to send our children abroad for further education," he said.

Federation of Chinese Associations in Malaysia president Lim Yuk Tong said that a committee had been set up to study the decline in the country's ethnic Chinese population. He said it was headed by the Federation of Sarawak Chinese Associations, which had raised the matter at the federation's recent delegate's conference.

Tan Sri Lim also urged Chinese organisations to forge greater unity to safeguard and work for the community's interest.

Khairy Calls Himself a Monkey

2007-11-08T01:17:00.000+08:00

To these people, I call on them to stop going to the streets and behave like monkeys and instead go to the polls if they want to challenge us."

Take a look below and see who the "monkey" is...

Presenting the number one "monkey" in action :

Macam beruk kan? Ketua beruk la tu...

So, what do we say to an UMNO leader like this? One who tells the opposition to not protest in the streets, when he himself embarrassed this nation and all our people with his unruly display at the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting where an American delegation was present.

Imagine, he forced his way through the riot police and came through unscathed, he even got into the building.

The video says it all. And now he calls himself among others like him a monkey. What a silly man he is. Someone, please, remove him from politics, he is just a disgrace! Prime Minister's son and all that. What a shame, we all expected more. Even in politics he can put his foot in his own mouth. Silly.

Furthermore, part of his response: "If they want to gather 100,000 people for an illegal gathering just a day after this Umno general assembly, then by right we would want to do the same to confront them."

So what is he intending to achieve? A riot? Civil war? So, when someone unreasonable and unruly confront's you, you do the same? Is this the diplomatic way? Are problems solved that way?

Everyday I pray that this man never becomes any more a leader than he is in UMNO, he is like the road bully behind the wheel of a car, doesn't take well to challenges, and then it's all about whose balls are bigger, and he does this in politics.

He should be removed. Hooliganism is not the Malaysian way, Khairi promotes it, in his most recent statement above, in his efforts to promote the Mat Rempit (hooligan gangster bikers on "scooters") and in his massive rally at the KLCC Convention Centre.

It will be a mistake we will all regret if we allow people like him to continue to harness more power.

Refer to our previous article:

Police Arrested...

See the article published in the New Straits Times:

Party not racist, says Khairy

UMNO is not a racist party and the Malay agenda, which forms the crux of its struggles, is not a racist agenda.

Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin yesterday delivered a fiery reminder to those who accused Umno of espousing racist ideology to look at the reality of the country's multiracial relations to realise the truth about the party's struggles."No one should accuse Umno of being a racist party or label the Malay agenda as being a racist agenda," he said while winding-up the movement's debate over the Youth chief's speech.

Khairy said Umno had accommodated the needs of its partners in Barisan Nasional's power-sharing arrangement as it did not only look after the interest of Malays but of all Malaysians."If we look at the allocations of electoral seats, the truth is Umno could have contested more seats than what it has now but this was not the case as we are willing to give way for our BN partners to be better represented."He said Umno's generosity in such instances should be enough evidence for anyone to refrain from accusing it of being racist."If we are racists, we would not give away (Malay-majority seats such Sungai Siput, Kapar, Kota Raja and Pontian."He added that if any quarter wanted to raise issues of political equality among the races, then Umno Youth would reciprocate by asking for equal economic clout.

(What nonsense, Malays have the most opportunity, if most of them don't want to take it, then it is their loss, what more do you want? The other races to work and be your servants? They already pay for our Mosques and wellbeing, so you want them to do more?")

Praising his boss, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, as being a model of a moderate politician, he said that despite his stance as a defender of Malay rights, he would be the first to defend the rights of other races if they were being infringed upon."I have learned a lot from Datuk Hishammuddin and one of the most important is that it is easier to be an extremist than to be a moderate in this country's political environment."It is difficult because we need to be smart when faced with difficult issues. Nonetheless, I have also learnt from Datuk Hishammuddin that we must do what is right and not what is popular."He illustrated the importance of moderation in facing unreasonable actions by the opposition such as the expected gathering at Dataran Merdeka this Saturday to demand a "clean" election.

"If they want to gather 100,000 people for an illegal gathering just a day after this Umno general assembly, then by right we would want to do the same to confront them.

"But this is not the smart way as it would cause a riot. Instead, we call on the police to arrest the organisers of the illegal gathering.

"To these people, I call on them to stop going to the streets and behave like monkeys and instead go to the polls if they want to challenge us."

Negarakuku... Translated

2007-08-15T12:19:00.000+08:00

Following the off tangent report by a widely circulated local Malay language (Harian Metro) newspaper that incited Malay discontent with Wee Meng Chee and his rendition of the Negaraku.

Although we do not support the creation of the spoofed Negaraku, people must not be quick to overreact and throw death threats to the Chinese and to Wee's family. Especially, without first understanding what Wee was rapping about.

Here is an example quoted from a response by a Malay person on Wee's apology letter on his blog:

Kebanyakkan kata-kata dalam lagu dia punya kebenaran.

Tapi dia seorang racist. Fuck you. Siapa respek dia aku isytiharkan kamu juga sebagai racist dan aku akan insytiharkan sumpah seranah 16 keturunan kau. Respek la bangsa/agama lain. Tak kira la kau siapa pon. Respek!

Inilah salah satu contoh Yellow Power di dalam rap!....

Aku tak menyokong mana-mana kegiatan yang maki hamun bangsa lain. Aku Malaysian. Seorang Malaysian seharusnya hormat bangsa dan agama lain.

So... Namewee.... kamu tidak boleh rap.... dan video kamu pun sangat-sangat teruk sama-sekali. DIY my anus...!

Fuck you Namewee! Fuck you... u fucking racist fuck...

semoga kamu mati bersama Rahmat Bahagia. macibai!

got email dari seorang fucker.... fuck u eric yong... kamu seorang bangsat racist yang patut mati!
mari la kita bersama spam email dia... yahhhhhhh!

So... who is the racist now?

Read the full posting here: http://nizam-nuri.blogspot.com/2007/08/namewee-merupakan-seorang-rappers-yang.html

So, before one over-reacts like the idiot above, it's best to first understand what was being said. As extracted from Namewee's blog, here it is:

NegarakuNegarakukuNegarakuNegarakukuNegarakuNegarakuku

Aku cinta Negara aku ada Negara baru ada keluarga
Ada keluarga baru ada aku berdiri disini
Nyanyi dengan engkau engkau jangan takut
Walaupun aku selalu cakap kasar
Lagu aku sama macam durian
Keras dan tajam tetapi
Tengok engkau berani buka ke tidak tengok apa yang ada di dalam
Dia boleh dikatakan busuk dia juga boleh dikatakan wangi
cuma tengok engkau ada macam mana punya hidung

MATAPolis kita panggil ‘mata’ (dlm bhs hokkien)
Ini kerana mata mereka sangat tajam
Apabila raya mereka akan jadi rajin
Pen di tangan tetapi jarang bagi saman

Ini keran mereka dahaga mereka mahu minum teh
Ataupun kopi O nak tambah gula ke tidak
Kalau tambah gula mulut mereka akan senyum dengan engkau
Apabila engkau nak pergi
TATADia akan ucap TATA (maksudnye bye)

NegarakuTanah tumpahnya darahku
Rakyat hidupBersatu dan maju

Gejala ini tidak perlu memperbaikikan
Juga tidak perlu memperkuatkan , kerjasama antara pihak polis dan rakyat
Secawan kopi hubungan boleh kekal
sukaAku memang suka

Sekurang-kurangnya balik rumah tidak akan dapat saman
Ayah mesti geram
Aku mesti kena marah tidak ada kereta untuk aku
Macam mana kali ini memang teruk

Tak de kereta macam mana aku nak keluar main
Tak de kereta macam mana aku nak XXX
Tak de kereta macam mana aku nak tengok ah kua
Negara ini aku memang suka

pukul 5 pagi
morning call
Ada morning call akan suruh aku bangun
Kadang-kadang beberapa ‘buah’ nyanyi sama-sama
macam tengah duet lagu cinta R&B
Suara tinggi rendah macam tengah nyanyi R&B
Walaupun kadang kala sebahagian daripada mereka out of tune
Walaupun kadang kala sebahagian daripada mereka pecah suara
Ada juga suara yang macam kokokan ayam tetapi dia bangun lagi awal dari ayam

Macam ini baru kite tahu mase untuk bersiap ke sekolah dan kerja

Jangan salahkan kerajaan hanya akan jaga rakyat tertentu
Jangan salahkan kami tidak dapat jagaan yang adil
Macam ini baru boleh menunjukkan yang orang cina tidak takut menderita
Macam ini baru boleh melatih kita mencari jalan keluar apabila menghadapi kesusahan
Jangan mengatakan standard ini sangat pelik
Kerana dengan ini baru menunjukkan kami sangat teror

Anak-anak yang tidak dimanja baru akan menjadi tabah
ada orang sampai sekarang masih belum berhenti minum susu

Rahmat bahagiaTuhan kurniakanRaja kita
Selamat bertakhtaRahmat bahagiaTuhan kurniakan
Raja kitaSelamat bertakhta

Pekerja dalam kerajaan lagi teror
Apa yang mereka buat boleh slow slow
Walaupun orang yang beratur marah
Mood mereka tetap rase bebas dan seronok
kuih Kadang-kalag kuih pun mereka ambil keluar kuih
Dia makan nyonya kuih dia
Dan engkau sambung beratur
Walaupun engkau nak marah pun tak pe
Kerana guard kat tepi pun tengah bermimpi
Dia takkan layan engkau

Mereka yang memakai tudung perlahan-lahan melintas jalan
Engkau yang memandu kenalah berhati-hati

Asalkan hidup dengan gembira asalkan hidup dengan selesa
Jangan macam orang cina
Tiap-tiap hari sibuk sangat susah
Semangat ini mesti kita kena kagumi
Kerana ini adalah sikap hidup mereka

Aku bercakap baik-baik dalam lagu ini
Aku percaya orang yang tak suka dengan aku mesti sangat suka
Dunia aman baru ada harapan
Tidak ada orang cedera dan tidak tak tersusun
Engkau suci engkau sopan

Najis wangi tak tahu cakap kasar

Engkau sangat high class tiap-tiap hari main romantic
Dengar guang liang pin kuan (penyanyi malaysia)
Tetapi mereka sudah pergi taiwan

Pelajar Sekolah Cina
Nak masuk local U sangat susah
Dalam kes ini, kita tidak patut geram

Ini cuma satu rancangan yang mulia dari kerajaan
Dia nak kami pergi merata-rata tempat pergi oversea mencari impian
Lepas itu balik negara membalas jasa
Rancangan ini memang bagus memang bagus
Di seluruh dunia mesti nampak malaysia punya rakyat
Macam melarikan dari bencana memang best

2007 ialah tahun pelancongan malaysia
Budaya cina semua mengambil keluar untuk publisiti

Pelajar sekolah cina
Memang tak dilayan oleh kerajaan
Sijil boleh buang ke longkang macam saya
Lepas tamat persekolahan terus pergi Taiwan

Belajar di sana bersedia balik negara untuk membalas jasa
Aku berdiri di tepi Taipei memain guitar
Tetapi Mulut aku tetap menyanyi

Rahmat bahagia
Tuhan kurniakan
Raja kita
Selamat bertakhta

It is best to understand the essence of the lyrics, no matter how racist it may appear and some people need to look within themselves and really assess whether there is any truth in it. Fact is, based on the responses from the Chinese community, many agree that this is what they have been feeling for a long time - nuff said.

Namewee's explanatory blog posting: http://namewee.blogspot.com/2007/08/hello-semua-orang-melayu-sila-tengok.html

The government should dig deep and look within themselves before going on a witch-hunt for bloggers and people like Wee who are expressing their frustration at years of missed opportunities that are due to the preferencial treatment that the Malay community receives, which, many of them now seem to take as their Birthright!

Afraid not bro... everyone has to earn their keep... shut up, wake up and start moving before the world leaves you behind. Disbelief? Well, just continue like this for another couple of decades...

You should read Wee's blog posting, that is supposed to be an apology cum explanation for his actions.

Nagarakuku... the Good and the Bad

2007-08-14T17:28:00.000+08:00

Reluctantly, we decided to post a link to the Negarakuku video on YouTube. This is for fear of further aggrivating the situation with the small readership of this blog. But this one has a translation that is probably worthwhile reading. From there, you can decide whether to believe what the government has said about the video. The translation is hard to follow, so you may want to keep your cursor on the pause/play button.

Reading the responses to the numerous Negarakuku videos on YouTube, you can tell that the Malay viewers are certainly upset.

However, reflective of the majority of the Malay responses that cursed the Chinese and threatened to hunt Chinese down and all that, it reflects how easily agitated they are and the self centredness of only thinking about the insults made against them, rather than trying to understand why this came about and whether there is any truth to it.

Here is one viewer who responded, we are assuming he's Malay...

"http://www.youtube.com/user/Azizulb

kita Melayu rasa prihatin sama u punye perasaan, kita sudah lama mengongkong u punye talent/skill & kebebasan! Jadi, asalkan tak terlambat, pemimpin negara mesti merancang untuk melepaskan hak keistimewaan kami untuk kebahagiaan bersama, tanpa mengira isu perkauman, kerana kita sudah 50 tahun merdeka!! Merdeka!! Binalah Malaysia ikut CLASS bukan ikut KAUM!Kita tak mau Melayu kaya yang tiada CLASS! Kekayaan itu bukan milik sesuatu kaum, ia milik orang2 yang pandai & tekun! "

At least this guy seems to see the light. Actually, apart from all the negative references namewee has made on the situation in the country, the fact is many non-Malays (Indians and Others included) have been thinking and feeling this, but never daring to say for reasons and presence of ISA, Sedition Act and basic morality.

We don't think that the Negarakuku video should be supported, because it does have the potential to incite racial disharmony, and we really don't want another May 13th to come about with the Malays going around abusing the Chinese and raping Chinese women, as they did during the emergency.

But the question now is, what is the government going to do about this? Are they going to be embroiled in the gut-wrenching statements Namewee has made? Or are they going to assess whether there is any truth to the feelings on the ground? Will the government we voted in take a fair assessment of this or will they continue harping on how this person has "insulted Islam" and the "Agong"? (although I don't see where the insult is to the King).

The fact is, many Chinese and Indians feel poorly about the way minority races are being treated and they want something done. They are tired of the arrogant UMNO elected officials enacting laws and making false declarations. Will the government do something about this?

The only thing the minorities can be thankful to Namewee for is that he has said what nobody else has dared say. And hopefully some attention will be given to it. If not, there will rise another Namewee and again there will be a public outcry over such "abuse of internet freedom" and so on.

Frankly in reference to insulting Islam, we believe that the initial statement made by Syed Hamid Albar was a reflection of a Malay over-reaction. There was only one statement made in his song about Islam that could be deemed as derogatory, and that is in reference to the call for prayer and associating that to a rooster crowing. That is disrespectful.

But really, in this one instance of the Muslim call for prayer, one must understand where the dispise comes from. Think about how many Mosques there are, all located in multi-racial housing areas, no matter how rich or poor. All sanctioned to be built by the Federal and State government for the benefit of Muslims. Good and fair. But everybody pays for the Mosque through their taxes - everybody. Also fine. But the government doesn't contribute to building Churches or Temples. People dislike this, but never say anything. Then, 5 times a day, there is a call for prayer, blairing on loadspeakers mounted on the exterior of the Mosque. Regardless, whether it's 5am or 10pm, 5 times a day, everyday. But even then, people try to learn to live with it, in their hearts they are saying "shut-up!".

What is most unfair is that many years ago, the government disallowed Churches from tolling their bells as a call for prayer and weddings and so on. They passed this along to other places of worship as well. However, the mosques are allowed to continue. Isn't that discrimanatory?

Better still, these days, even if you have the money, in the recent cases of the Catholic Church in Shah Alam and the Ma Tzu Statue in Sabah, even if you have the money, getting an approval to build your non-Muslim place of worship can is most likely to be denied. There are many more unpublished cases such as these.

The injustice to all the other races and religions in Malaysia is too much to bear. Hence, you must understand where these negative feelings come from. When you do, you'll see that there is some truth, no matter how wrongly stated (in the song) to what is being said.

Here's a Taiwanese news clip from YouTube interviewing Name Wee...

DPM Najib's Declaration: Malaysia An Islamic State

2007-08-14T14:48:00.000+08:00

Horror of Horrors... what do the minorities do now? Everyone, be it Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist or Christian was always under the impression that PAS was the party that intended on setting up the much feared Islamic State. Now, it seems that UMNO has deemed Malaysia to have always been an Islamic State. When did this come about? In every past election that I can recall, UMNO always stressed on the fact that PAS was extremist and in that same breath commented negatively of PAS intentions to set up an Islamic state in Kelantan, let alone the whole of Malaysia.

This was the tactic employed to woo voters to a more moderate Barisan Nasional with a moderate Muslim-Malay party, UMNO. The deterring factor for a majority of Malaysian voters in voting the opposition has always been the fear of PAS and their Islamic State ideology.

But recently, our DPM Najib has declared Malaysia as never being secular (contrary to our understanding) and always being an Islamic State. Shock and awe, the whole country was in uproar, especially the minority races. We didn't vote for this, we didn't agree to this!

Even though the Constitution does not state that we are an Islamic State and specifies Islam as the main religion of the country, people like DPM Najib and Former PM Mahathir, who obviously do not understand the nation's constitution they were meant to uphold, or has never read it. This may be believable in Najib's case, but not likely in Mahathir's, as he is known to be an avert reader - so what was his objective?

It seems that UMNO politicians love to play the racial and religious card in their attempt to win over PAS voters. For most Malays and Muslims these days, the more religious you appear to be, the stronger a candidate you become. A very narrow and shallow reason for choosing a country's leadership. Nonetheless, this is the rural Malay voter, unfortunately the urban Malay is .

Not caring for the impact that their statements have on all Malaysians, and forgetting that it is the Malay, Chinese, Indians and "Lain Lain" (Others) who make up this country and what it is today, they make statements that undoubtedly make everyone nervous.

The Nation's leaders in UMNO seem to think that just because they have been given a firm mandate by the majority of Malaysians, they can say what they like and make things like "Islamic State" policy overnight. Since when?

Furthermore, and more upsetting, people like Najib can insist that their statements are correct and not bother addressing the public's concern. Additionally, a media blackout on the subject had been established, only to allow statements by DPM Najib and PM Badawi to be publicised. Basically saying that "It's our right to say these things, what you believe or feel doesn't matter".

How dare you! Malaysia is made up of many people from many different races. We built this country together. Don't think you can make such sweeping statements and then arrogantly not attend to the public's outcry.

To think that UMNO practically begged for the Chinese vote in 1997 when Anuar Ibrahim formed PKR and went to the elections. BN won by a margin afforded to them by the Chinese vote. It could have easily gone the other way. And this is how you say thank you? Najib should not forget that during that election, he nearly lost his parliamentary seat by a few hundred votes.

If I recall correctly, during that time, UMNO was making remarks against voting for either DAP or PKR on the basis that they are tied up with the extremist PAS, which had the intention of setting up an Islamic State that UMNO knew DAP will never agree to.

So I suppose UMNO has a short memory... perhaps it's time to refresh it and to establish the impermanance of UMNO and BN's role in leading the people.

So, years after that episode, and now that UMNO feels that it's clout with the people is secure, it can say whatever it likes for the benefit of the Malays and Islam.

I am surprised that after all that, UMNO can make an about turn and declare that Malaysia is an Islamic State.

What does this mean to the people? Simple, UMNO and BN are now expendable. We tried to avoid becoming an Islamic State and were led to believe that by voting for BN we would be safe from such fundamentalist ideologies. However, since it has been declared that we now are, what difference will it make if we choose to vote for PAS or the opposition?

Some may say, it's Najib's words against all the nation. But I think that there are many in UMNO who support this, and these people are key players in the party and government. In which case, it is a matter of time before UMNO becomes a fundamentalist Islamic party. Slowly but surely, the minorities feel that their rights are being encroached upon. Slowly, but surely, UMNO is becoming more Islamic. It is a matter of time before everyone feels the full force of this change.

Voters can make the change now, if they wanted. A message can be sent to the likes of UMNO that this will not be accepted. Besides, with the many votes that UMNO will receive from either loyalists or those who are afraid to chance their vote to the opposition, perhaps for the many of us who are patriotic enough to attempt to preserve the balance of power and sanctity of our nation, we should vote opposition over UMNO candidates where possible. Perhaps by reducing the number of UMNO seats in parliament, we can eliminate rhetoric by people like Najib, Khairi, Nasir, "blog-hater" Zam and a number of others.

Why do we want to have leaders who go out there, shooting off their mouths without caring about how what they say affects all of us? They should be removed from power and hopefully silenced. Well, at least we are not giving them a pedestal to stand on!

Here's an article extracted from the Today paper, a Singapore publication. The writer has certainly made an accurate analysis worthy of reading - you'll find that it's what you have been thinking, but never verbalised.

14 August 2007
News Comment Section
Malaysia's State of Ambiguity

A TACTIC used by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, in his fight against the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) in 2001, was to declare Malaysia an Islamic state. This, he figured, would take the windsout of the sails of the PAS, whose stated aim is to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state.

While the opposition Democratic ActionParty (DAP) made noise, the general public was hardly up in arms over the matter. The issue was soon forgotten although Dr Mahathir never retracted his declaration.

Last month, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak reiterated the former Prime Minister’s stance, stating that not only was Malaysia an Islamic state, the country had never been secular in the first place.

Mr Najib got support from Dr Mahathir and drew expected criticism from the likes ofthe DAP, lawyers and rights groups.But something else happened: The Information Ministry took the unusual step of telling newspapers not to publish any articles on the issue, on grounds that this could cause“tension” among the public. Only commentsby Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy were allowed for print.This move reflects how much the situation has changed. The bulk of the voting public during much of Dr Mahathir’s era was more compliant, less vocal and, perhaps crucially, did not have the Internet.

Today, Web-savvy, younger voters are more willing to stand up for their rights. Several issues, not just the Islamic-state controversy, have illustrated this point.

Earlier this year, Malaysia’s biggest bank came up with a policy that required its panel of lawyers to have at least three partners, one of whom must be a bumiputera holding a minimum of 50 per cent equity in the partnership. Maybank came under intense fire from the non-Malay community, which led to a quick withdrawal of the policy.

I am of the Internet generation, but I remember a time when both government agencies and private corporations could implement discriminatory (dubbed “affirmative action”) policies with impunity, such as the one Maybank tried to push.

Not today.

Last year, the annual general assembly ofthe United Malays National Organisation (Umno), saw speaker after speaker make fiery speeches. One delegate said they were willing to“risk lives” and “bathe in blood”. Another asked when Umno Youth chief Hishamuddin Hussein was going to use the keris he had brandished at the event.

The backlash from the televised and well-blogged event took Umno by surprise. Shortly after that, the government decided future general assemblies would not be televised, and began to take reconciliatory steps to assuage non-Malay outrage.

Mr Hishamuddin, who is also Education Minister, within months, announced the construction of a new Chinese school and some RM2.1 million ($918,000) in grants for Chinese schools. He also assured the Chinese community that the government would not close down Chinese schools, had no objections to building more and would resolve the shortage of Chinese school teachers as well as raise the standard of Chinese primary schools.

Even Mr Khairy Jamaluddin, the Prime Minister’s fiery son-in-law, has mellowed in his rhethoric. Last year, he called for the government to increase the affirmative action quota for Malays if the Chinese were not happy with the 30 per cent set aside. He made similar outrageous comments throughout much of last year and refused to apologise for them.

This past weekend, however, he denied that Umno was racist. “How can we be racist, when we are defending equality?” he said. He cited the power-sharing agreement Umno has with other component parties as an example.

Mr Badawi, who had kept silent on Mr Najib’s Islamic-state comment, recently came out to say that Malaysia was “not a secular state” but neither was it “a theocratic state like Iran and Pakistan” — his typical “neither here nor there” comment.

It’s also reminiscent of the government’s “strategic ambiguity” approach on the issue of whether Muslims are allowed to leave their religion. While the issue of apostasy is not something that non-Muslims are particularly concerned about, as it doesn’t directly affect them, an Islamic state is something that doesn’t sit well with them.

Lawyers say the Federal Constitution is unambiguous about Malaysia being a secular state — Article 3 (1) states it clearly— but the apostasy cases have shown how murky these things can be in practice. And while it’s true that non-Muslims have freedom of religion and can lead very secular lifestyles, there’s always the danger of the slippery slope.

This is probably why Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Bernard Dompok risked angering his Umno colleagues by saying at a public forum: “I will not agree that we are an Islamic state.” He understands full well that today’s non-Muslim public will not accept any ambiguity on this matter. But does Mr Badawi?

Oon Yeoh is a writer and commentator based in Kuala Lumpur.

Petrol Stations 7-10: Has the Government Lost Control?

2007-08-02T11:09:00.000+08:00

Fuel. Fuel is what moves our country's economy. If you have ever travelled on the North-South Highway at night, you will see thousands of cars travelling from KL to Ipoh, Singapore to Malacca, Singapore to KL. These are at least from our observation the main and most frequented routes. This will all soon come to an end. PLUS may see a drop in passenger vehicle movements on their highways at the later hours of the night. Why? Well, unless you are carrying an extra tank of petrol in your car, you won't make it, especially if you are running a small CC car which usually has a 30-40 litre tank. Making those overnight trips from Johor or Malacca to Penang or Ipoh will be a thing of the past.

If you think it stops at passenger cars, think again. Commercial vehicles will be impacted too. How will you now move anything from timber, steel, agro produce cross country overnight? Usually transportation of such goods are done at night until the wee hours of the morning. So, we can expect that in some small way, the economy will be stifled.

Think about it, all your expectations of overnight mail by Poslaju or FedEx or whatever you use will be affected. Hence making Malaysia even more inefficient.

The only benefit that I see coming out of this is that all these Mat Rempits will run out of petrol sometime around midnight after doing all their cartwheels and wheelies or whatever stupid things they do.

This is all thanks to the PDAM (Petrol Dealers Association of Malaysia) that intends to proceed with this new policy without government approval. Has the government lost control?

Now think about what happens when this 10pm closure is enforced. Everyone and their dog will be queueing at the petrol stations to fill up. Creating traffic jams along the main roads these stations are situated on. Not to mention all those commercial vehicles who will do their final fill up. That would make things even worse. Chaos!

Thanks to the PDAM, the economy will suffer, PLUS will lose money and we, the consumers will remain at their mercy. Where is the government in all this? Why haven't they stepped in to say something even after the first statement of intention by the PDAM yesterday? Nowhere!

Are they too engrossed in their Northern Corridor and Iskandar projects to notice and pay attention to all this? Obviously. But, there is a major oversight, the building materials will not transport themselves onto the site just with love and fresh air.

We'd hope to see the government do something about this - and soon.

We don't care if the petrol dealers think that their operating costs are high or that they are afraid of being robbed. There are ways of managing these things. Like the typical Melayu business, they usually have more people than they need to run the station. Usually there are 2 cashiers but only one counter open. The second person is just sitting there doing nothing.

The bigger and more understandable concern is that of security. But really, get with the 21st century - install high grade CCTV cameras that have high resolution and nightvision. Have them placed not only in the convenience store, but also on the outside. I have observed that CCTVs aren't present in many of the vital places and even if they are, the resolution is so bad, you can see nothing. Shouldn't all petrol stations have a panic button alerting the police as well? Most petrol stations don't even have an alarm system.

So, if the petrol dealers can't help themselves, then don't come crying to the media!

As for the police. Yes, the PDRM is useless, they are never around when you need them, and when you call in an emergency, you will probably encounter the following:

1. The officer cannot speak english and takes 1 minute to pass the phone to an officer who can. Usually an Indian person.
2. The officer doesn't seem interested or unphased, no sense of urgency

And then it takes about 30-40 minutes for the police to arrive on the scene, by which time, you would either be injured or dead and definately robbed.

It is now in the hands of IGP Musa, to get all the billions worth of police cars he asked for on the road and patrolling, not being parked outside mamak stalls for hours.

So, what can we as consumers do about this? Nothing you say? Yes, there is something we can do... To hurt the dealers, we cannot attack them all at one time. We need to single out one petroleum company and boycott its stations.

In this case, it should be PETRONAS. Why? Firstly, it's quasi government. The government will definately react to this. Also, the owners are mostly Malay, which the government will be compelled to protect. Additionally, they have the most stations with possibly a large number of unprofitable stations that should and can be closed (rationalised). One third of the 3000 dealers are Petronas dealers.

Boycott PETRONAS for a start and you can work through the rest in time. But it's likely that boycotting PETRONAS will spark the necessary reaction from the government.

Article from the New Straits Times
So, it’s fill up before 10pm

KUALA LUMPUR: All petrol stations, including those on highways, will close by 1 0pm within two months.

The Petrol Dealers Association of Malaysia (PDAM) said yesterday that its 3,200 members would only open for business between 7am and 10pm.

PDAM spokesperson Datuk Zulkifli Mokti said this was because the association’s members faced security risks as well as declining profits."The average petrol station is robbed once a year. This happens mostly at night."

He said the station owners were operating under constant fear of being robbed as they had large amounts of cash daily."Just two weeks ago, an owner was robbed on his way home. Dealers, too, have been shot and killed, kidnapped and threatened at gunpoint."Zulkifli said that reducing work shifts from three to two would help petrol stations bring down operating costs, which had been rising over the years.

On Monday, former PDAM president Alang Zari Ishak had said that stations along highways would remain open 24 hours a day. Yesterday, Alang was removed as president after 51 out of 65 council members voted against him at a meeting.

In announcing his removal, Zulkifli said many decisions made by the council had not been properly enforced."Certain decisions were not followed up (by Alang).

"Major (R) Wahid Bidin, who was formerly the deputy president, will act as the president until the association holds its election next year.

Badawi: "Muslims who want to convert to other faiths should be allowed to do so"

2007-07-10T10:53:00.000+08:00

We recently uncovered an article published by the Today paper, a Singapore publication on a very surprising statement made by the PM. Strangely, this was not carried in the local Malaysian newspapers.

Has the local media boycotted this important statement made by the Prime Minister? Why else was something as important and sensitive as this not carried in the local media? Or was it too much against the grain of further enforcing Malaysia's "new" Islamic State status?

But this statement by the PM is a significant milestone for the nation and should be made known to the nation and made into policy. There are so many extremists in prominent government positions, and this clarion call for moderation and sensibility is something that needs to be heard by all. Perhaps it will breathe new hope into the hearts and minds of the non-Muslims of Malaysia.

But the question is, why was it never carried in the local media? To us, it is obvious that this was not something that was in line with the so called "mainstream" UMNO view.

UMNO leaders, Religious Departments, read this and understand it well, this is the voice of moderation. Heed in his footsteps and take the balanced and fair approach. People are entitled to make their own choices in what they believe - it is every individuals birthright!

Read on... Badawi's brief statement says a lot.

July 10, 2007
Allow Muslims to convert if they choose to: PM Abdullah

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has said that those who want to leave Islam should be counselled by the religious authorities, and, if they still choose to convert, they should be allowed to do so.

Mr Abdullah made it clear later that he was making these comments in his personal capacity.
"Religious officials should be ready to listen to the problems of those people who want to leave the religion. They should not torture them but they should counsel them," said Mr Abdullah, speaking to reporters after opening an Islamic conference in Putrajaya.

Asked about the growing number of religious disputes dominating news headlines, the Prime Minister proposed that Muslims who want to convert to other faiths should be allowed to do so.
"This is not something that cannot be done. For those who don't want to be Muslims anymore, what can you do? If they want to leave the religion, what are you going to do? You might as well let them go."

Under Sharia or Islamic law in Malaysia, it is the duty of religious authorities to determine whether a Muslim can leave the religion or not.

Just last week, a 29-year-old Indian woman who wanted to renounce Islam was released from a rehabilitation centre run by the state's Islamic authorities. Ms Revathi Masoosai (picture), also known as Siti Fatimah, has said her mother was a Hindu and her father a Christian, but both subsequently converted to Islam, AFP reported. She told reporters she had been ill-treated while at the centre. She was separated from her Hindu husband and 18-month-old daughter for six months.

Ms Revathi had expected her bid to be a Hindu to be approved after her period of detention. — Channel NewsAsia
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/199167.asp

The Pot Calling the Kettle Black, UMNO Youth Gives Credit Where It Isn't Due

2007-07-10T01:31:00.000+08:00

Tian Chua of Keadilan did a very politically and morally stupid thing by doctoring a picture of DPM Najib, Razak Baginda and Altantunya and posting it on his blog. It's obvious that it was done as a practical joke of some sort, and some kind of dark and sick humor. Now, politicians in the Barisan Nasional have taken this as an opportunity to politicise the issue and discredit Keadilan and it's leaders. Frankly, one could easily say that it is Barisan, and not Keadilan that is "distracting the people from (Barisan's) own weaknesses" (as quoted from Khairi) and the real issues the country is facing.

The question is this, as slanderous as Tian Chua's picture was, it is clear that it was doctored in such a manner that depicts it as more comical in nature which equates to mischiviousness. Why then, does Hishamuddin and the rest of BN have to react so strongly towards it? A simple remark that it was mischevious and defamatory would suffice. Subsequently a court injuction can be easily attained and that being the demand that Tian Chua remove it. If they wish, they can sue him for liabel.

Saying so many words in the media does not only highlight the stupidity of Tian Chua, but also the eagerness and opportunistic leadership of Barisan to take a swipe at the opposition. It benefits neither.

Hence, the pot (Hishamiddin) is calling the kettle (Tian Chua) black. Both are equally silly in the latest drama that has enveloped Barisan Nasional.

On Hishamuddin's remark, “Such a deed will then be accepted as a culture and practice in the country".

Hishamuddin, do you really think that the Malaysian people are so stupid to simply adopt "cultures" and "practices"? Doctoring a picture of someone is definately not something that can be associated with any culture. As a litigator, you should know that such things are better associated with juvinility, rather than culture.

Perhaps, for the Malay community, they are easily impressed and influenced by the negative bits of western culture. Some examples are, immitating the black "gangsta rappers", dressing as neo nazi facists (and acting like them - not realising that Hitler would have gladly murdered them all - not only the Jews), performing in home pornography (u-tube has plenty), performing daredevil stunts on the road ie. Mat Rempit... and the list goes on.

But for Malaysian's in general, we don't think so. Again, this has nothing to do with Tian Chua setting the stage for Malaysians to take advantage of our democracy and it being an abuse of freedoms of expression. Not many will follow in the footsteps of a lesser politician, barren of charisma and the ability to speak eloquently. Hishamuddin, Malaysian's are not so stupid, do not insult us.

In this case Barisan has blown the subject matter out of proportion by saying that if these acts are not curbed, then it will become a norm and we will have people going around defacing the name and pictures of the Prophet Mohammad. Such ridiculousness is surprising, coming from Hishamuddin. He was one of the more promising leaders and many had great hopes that he will lead the country over and above Najib. This being a preference voiced by many. However, over time, Hishamuddin has shown himself to be less and less worthy of the people's hope and support. It started with the keris weilding - to which he might as well have said that he wanted "to bathe the keris in Chinese blood" as his predecessor Najib Tun Razak once said in a 1986 rally. (Ref wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Najib_Tun_Razak)

In summary, less words and drama would have sufficed. Perhaps UMNO and Barisan have played into the hands of Keadilan. Perhaps the objective was to sow the seeds into people's minds that Najib had something to do with it and that there is a conspiracy to be conjured. If this is the case, then stupidly, Hishamuddin, Khairi and the rest of the BN goons have played into the opposition's hands by glorifying a very poorly doctored picture of the Deputy PM with Alatantunya - which again, is stupid in terms of drawing even greater public attention to such matters and making something out of nothing and thereby, in a way, giving it credibility.

Hisham: Punish Tian Chua to stop such acts

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Youth is concerned that if Tian Chua’s act of doctoring a photograph that implicated the Deputy Prime Minister is not stopped, more people will go overboard in their actions in the name of “freedom and democracy.”

Its chief, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, said if the authorities did not reprimand the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) information chief, this would mean his deed had been legitimised.
“Such a deed will then be accepted as a culture and practice in the country,” he said on the doctored photograph posted in Tian Chua’s blog that depicted Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda and a look-alike of Altantuya Shaariibuu at the same table.
Abdul Razak is one of three people accused in the murder of Altantuya, a Mongolian translator.
“The day might come when they use transparency and freedom as an excuse to insult the Prophet Muhammad, just as what has happened in the West. “This is how it starts so we need to curb it. I am not equating the Prophet to our leaders but if the act is not stopped, it will become a norm,” he said in reference to caricatures of Prophet Muhammad carried by a Danish newspaper that led to an worldwide protests by Muslims.

Speaking at the opening of the Gombak Umno Youth divisional meeting yesterday, he said that Tian Chua’s action and that of PKR advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who defended him, showed their true character.

Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin said the act by Tian Chua was to distract attention from the party’s weaknesses. “His refusal to apologise, although it is slanderous, shows that he is rude and arrogant. Stupid people don’t know how to say sorry because they do not understand the meaning. “We will show them in the next general election. We will bury PKR and make sure there is no place for Tian Chua or other PKR leaders,” he said at the Bukit Bintang Umno Youth divisional meeting yesterday.

Meanwhile, Tian Chua insisted there was nothing for him to say sorry for. “No one has told me exactly what I have done wrong. If the authorities think I have committed a crime, they should investigate me,” he said.

Islamic Department Religious Officers Harrassing Innocents

2007-07-06T16:33:00.000+08:00

Women's rights in Malaysia are fast being diminished. Would you or anyone else consider the lady pictured below "exposing her body"? Siti Noor Idayu Abd Moin (pic), 22, was singing at an entertainment outlet in Sunway City, Ipoh when Religious Officers from JAIP raided the place.

Firstly, it's obvious that the lady is not "exposing" her body. To think that wearing long pants and a sleeveless top is indecent exposure is absurd. Frankly, she appears to be dressed normally and much unlike performers in most other countries where they wear gowns with plunging necklines and body hugging clothes.

But really, is that bad? Why would people say that it's a bad thing to see the outline of a woman's body? Islamic Religious Officers in Malaysia seem to think so. They say it's "lucah" or pronographic. There are those who say that a woman who doesn't wear a "tudung" or headscarf is also "lucah". The only reason why it's pornographic to them is because they have unclean thoughts, uncontrollable lust and desire for what they cannot have. Because of this most Muslims believe that it's better to keep the women covered up so that the men are not tempted.

What utter nonsense, if the men have a problem, they should confine it to themselves, learn to see things differently or if it's that hard, just castrate themselves.

So, in Siti's case, even more offensive and greater intrusions were made. The officers called her IC (Identification Card) "Najis" or Shit (as in Biological Waste) and refused to touch it! Isn't that amazing! The newspaper has quoted it as unclean, but Najis really means Shit.

They were then put in a small room where the officers sadistically turned down the temperature and the officers said "let them freeze". Isn't that quite inhuman? And against people's basic human rights?

Siti was also detained overnight until 10am the next morning and had to suffer the intrusion of the male Religious Officers constantly photographing her. Perhaps they haven't seen a pretty woman before and because they are so used to seeing women wrap themselves up, this is something new to them. Perhaps they will use those pictures to "relieve" themselves later on.

The officers were also scheming to frame her for alcohol consumption, as per her observation of them being disappointed when her test returned a negative and the objection of one officer.

Further to that, JAIP director Datuk Jamry Sury said he was confident that his officers had not acted outside of their jurisdiction in issuing the notice. And said “According to Islamic laws, a Muslim woman is not allowed to serve or entertain a man who is not her husband in a place where immoral activities usually take place,” he said.

How on earth is Sunway City an immoral place.? Is this man out of his mind? It's obvious that he knows nothing of the world and what immoral is. Besides, the lady was singing in a public place in front of men and women and possibly children. So saying she was entertaining men suggests that she was in a strip club doing lap dances, which is hardly the case. Sunway City should file an injunction against this man and his department because what he suggests promotes a negative image of the company and can bring about a potential loss of business.

It is this sort of stupidity that is brought about by poorly educated people who are unable to get jobs in the private sector fresh out of the local Malaysian Universities. At which point, our government says, we must hire them so that they have jobs. Thereby increasing the number of civil servants and costing the taxpayers more money year on year. Mostly and sadly, Malay, who are given preferential treatment in exams from Form 5 through their varsity years. This had bred the stupidity as exemplified by such actions.

In the words of YB Minister in the PM's Department - Nazri,"Bodoh, Bodoh, Bodoh".

So, this is what our tax money goes to. Little bastard Hitlers who impose their brand of Islam upon us, who intimidate us and we pay their salaries and bonuses. I say, the BN and federal government should either sack them or we should remove the BN from power. Many of us thought that because we vote for BN, we save ourselves from PAS, but over time, it's becoming more apparent that BN leads a government and government organisations that are intolerant, backward and filled with Malay Ultras and Islamic Extremists.

So, why should moderate Malays and minority races vote for BN? What is the incentive now?

Sure, the Federal Government will now announce that there are overzealous officers who are just executing their duties.

We say not.

This is harrassment, infringement of human rights, bigotry (gender biased) and improper. In which part of the law does it state that Religious Department officers can detain people overnight, and if so, for what reasons? For wearing a sleeveless blouse? Also, in which part of the JAIS procedure manual (if one does exist) does it state that officers can go about harrassing the detainee by photographing her? Also, in where are the procedures and guidelines that ensure that detainees are properly treated and the handling officers remain true to the cause and not become part of the problem?

No more excuses BN leaders. You either take responsibility and shape up or we, the people, will ship you out!

There have been problems with the bastard Hitlers of the Islamic Departments for a very long time now. People are stopped in the streets just for holding hands and kissing. Aged foreigners have had their rooms intruded into by such officers who in one case accused them of "Khalwat" or close proximity.

Malaysia is fast becoming like the Arabs they adore so much. Soon, we will be living in a South East Asian Saudi.

Since the government is not doing much to change this, perhaps it's time to change the government. But we all know that people will still vote for BN. By voting the opposition, we ensure that there are voices that will speak for us as well and we will give them a bigger voice in parliament.

The aim for this election is to REDUCE the BN Majority in Parliament, in the hope for a better Malaysia and hopefully, this will help teach certain government leaders like Khairi, Nazri and their close associates that there is no place in the people's hearts for extremists or ignorance.

The Article:

The Star
Singer held over dressing

IPOH: The Perak Religious Department (JAIP) has ordered a singer to appear before the Syariah Court for “exposing her body” during a performance and “encouraging immoral activities”.

However, an indignant Siti Noor Idayu Abd Moin, 22, said she was wearing a sleeveless top and long pants when JAIP officers raided an entertainment outlet in Sunway City where she was performing on Tuesday.

“Our band had just finished and it was a little past midnight when they came in and rounded up all the Muslims.

“They asked to see our MyKad but one officer refused to touch the cards, referring to them as najis (unclean),” she said.

Siti Noor Idayu said the JAIP officers later detained seven people, including four employees of the outlet, and brought them to the department office.

“They put us in a tiny room and turned up the air-conditioner. I heard one officer tell the other: Bekulah dia orang (Let them freeze),” she said.

Siti Noor Idayu also said the male officers kept taking photographs of her, adding that she was made to stay overnight in that room until 10am.

She said the officer who finally came to record her statement at 8am, accused her of consuming alcohol and drugs, being involved in immoral activities, and that her MyKad was a fake.

“I took the breathalyser test twice and when the reading remained at zero, the officers looked frustrated.

“I heard one tell the other: Tapi dia tak minum lah (But she did not drink),” she said.
Siti Noor Idayu said an officer even told her that the money she earned working in the outlet was duit haram (illicit money) and that her parents, children and future generations would all be tainted for using such money.

“They finally wrote me a notice accusing me of dressing sexily and encouraging immorality just because I sang there,” she said.

The notice ordered her to appear before the Syariah Court here on Aug 6.

When contacted, JAIP director Datuk Jamry Sury said he was confident that his officers had not acted outside of their jurisdiction in issuing the notice.

“According to Islamic laws, a Muslim woman is not allowed to serve or entertain a man who is not her husband in a place where immoral activities usually take place,” he said.

UMNO's Election Strategy: Cyberspace Combatants and Debates on the Streets

2007-07-04T17:19:00.000+08:00

...and who else better to do the job but... Dato' Azalina Othman!

The very same person who made stupid and embarassing remarks in the global media regarding Singapore's entry into hosting the Formula 1 race. She said...

"(The) region should have one F1 race. Singapore should not compete with Malaysia,"
(Really? So like the NEP, you feel it's your God Given Right? Afraid the commercial world doesn't work that way)

"I am not worried. I have no concern with Singapore hosting the F1 race," she added.
(If you're not so worried, then why remark in the first place?)

"I think Malaysia has one of the best tracks. We host the hottest race in the world. I don't think Singapore can challenge the F1 race in Malaysia,
(Are you trying to make yourself feel better now? Poor thing!)

The last statement was the most stupid one. Azalina assumes that just because she thinks that the Sepang F1 race is "Hot" that Singapore can't challenge Malaysia? Besides, who was talking about Singapore vs. Malaysia? All Singapore was doing was minding it's own business and looking at a potential commercial deal. Azalina was better off shutting her mouth and letting the market decide. Now, we look stupid and because of her stupidity and being "gung ho" about "Malaysia Boleh", you end up looking like the spoilt brat and "Malaysia Bodoh". And now, people who didn't think of comparing which is better, will think to do so, which is kind of... worse for Malaysia. Coz, we are good and building new things, but never maintaining.

And now, this Minister of Youth and Sports who has very little to show for in her success in promoting and building the Youth and Sports... unless you deem Mat Rempit's being a success (and I bet Malaysia is.. in that department)... is going to lead a cyber-war against Bloggers.

Fantastic. The Bloggers will have a field day with you and your team of proposed "writers" (to which you have no idea how to deploy).

Dato Azalina's strategy like your rattling your mouth off on the F1 Singapore, is greatly FLAWED.

Do you think that by having a team of UMNO writers battling some tenths of thousands of Blogs will be possible? Do you think it's going to change people's mindset? Words are worthless, actions from the government we voted in is what is needed. So, your writers can keep on writing, and they will be continuously bombarded. In the end, you probably didn't change hearts and minds, you probably create more resentment by those actions.

The part which is even more shocking is when she proposed that UMNO members be confrontational in coffeeshops when evesdropping on people's conversations.. ie. speaking poorly of UMNO and the government.

What kind of stupid strategy is that? It has the makings of turning into an argument, which will escalate into some racial remarks and eventually people might even trade blows. So, UMNO's strategy is to start riots to change people's mind about the government (we'll bet Khairi will be the front runner of that). WOW... this is truly mind blowing.

Also, on the part about being concerned that UMNO members might be swayed by what they read on the Blogs, look, people have minds of their own and they make their decisions and take sides based on what they see and know. If they are not taking your side, then perhaps UMNO and the component parties need to really start looking within themselves to see what is wrong and what they need to make good on.

Do you think fighting tenths of thousands of people head on is going to solve the problem? Think again.

Frankly for a Minister of Youth and Sports, she is neither wise enough to lead the youth and neither physically fit to be a model for a Sports Ministry.

We'll be looking forward to these so called writers, I'll bet the respondents on Lim Kit Siang's website and people like Marina Mahathir will gladly chew them and spit them out. Bring it on!

Umno recruiting team of writers to fight ‘cyber war’

KOTA KINABALU: Umno is set to do battle in cyberspace ahead of the anticipated general election by assembling a team of writers from every state to counter allegations about the party and its leadership on certain websites. Umno supreme council member Datuk Azalina Othman Said said she had been recently tasked by party president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to take charge of this “cyber war.”

“This is among our key strategies in preparation for the elections. The other is getting our members to register as voters,” she said yesterday after opening the Kota Kinabalu Umno Youth, Wanita and Puteri meetings. Azalina, the Youth and Sports Minister, said all state Umno liaison committees would be asked to identify writers willing to assist the party in this cause.

However, she declined to explain how these writers would carry out their duties nor did she name the websites that had purportedly spread the allegations. Earlier, in her speech when opening the Youth, Wanita and Puteri meetings, Azalina said certain websites appeared to be stepping up their attacks against the country’s leaders. “We need to counter these blatant lies. If we remain quiet, our worry is that some of our members and civil servants will be influenced by all these nonsense,” she added.

Azalina said she was aware that many party members liked visiting certain websites and could end up believing what was posted there. On the other hand, she said, there was a tendency among opposition party members not to believe any negative report about their leaders. “We want Umno members to support and defend their leaders. If they are sitting in a coffeeshop and hear others talking badly about the party leaders they should counter those lies immediately,” Azalina added.

In a related development, she said the opposition had resorted to moving their members and supporters to seats they were confident of winning in the coming polls.

Freedom of Religion in Malaysia a Fallacy Part 2

2007-07-03T22:35:00.000+08:00

Malaysia Truly Asia... My Ass!

With reference to Lim Kit Siang's Blog to the article "Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Puchong - why from freehold to 60 yrs lease?". This is an outrage. To see the outrage expressed by Malaysians of different faiths, please refer to the link above.

This isn't the first time this is being done to the Non-Muslim citizens of our "great" nation. You can refer to a previous article that we published on this site with regards to the "Goddess of the Sea". Actually apart from these two recent incidences, there have been others that have gone unpublished. There is a reason for that. One, the media can be biased and this may seem like stirring up racial sentiment. Two, the people affected, being compassionate buddhists/hindus and good Christians, just keep silent and not do anything, for fear of being arrested for sedition or because they don't see the extent of what these precedences mean for our young and the future of Non-Muslims. In summary, they are too Chicken Shit to do something about it.

If we were part of the Malay Muslim community, there will be riots led by people like Khairi as he has clearly shown what he is capable of in the past year, rallying against US Govt Officials. While people like Minister in the PMs department Nazri, tell the rest of us not to aggrevate the Malay community (or else...).

So, what do we do? Be good Christians and turn the other cheek, or perhaps be compassionate Buddhists and meditate on it?

There comes a time when a response is required, one that puts the government in check.

Here is what R had to say:

Even as the PM was talking overseas telling about love and peace and harmony in our multireligious country, there are many fundamentalists trying to derail his statements and prove him wrong.

I am a Catholic. I was informed that our new Church in Puchong, Our Lady of Guadalupe, suddenly faced a “crisis”. This church is in Selangor and you must remember what happened to our application for a church in Shah Alam over 20 years ago. Whether the Selangor govt or just the over-zealous local authorities are behind that problem, I don’t know. But now, it’s happening directly aimed at our church in Puchong.

This Church was actually an old chapel which was asked to relocate owing to housing development and the developers promised to give back a piece of land to rebuild a church. For many years we have been operating from temporary buildings including shifting from shophouse to shophouse. Finally a Church was built on a funny V-shaped piece of land in front of some shophouses just before an industrial area. It looked like remnant, left-over vacant land but beggars can’t be choosers?

The land in the whole area including the land over which the Church is built is freehold land. Now, suddenly out of the blue, we are told that the land on which the Church is built is alienated to a 60 years leasehold whilst the surrounding area is still freehold! Is this not discriminatory?

R has sent a follow-up email:

I just checked with someone. It’s getting complicated here. When SP Setia took over the chapel land (near Tesco Puchong), they promised to give back freehold land. When they finally gave the land for the Church to be built, they said that it was freehold land. Either SP Setia “pulled” a fast one over the first committee who were mostly very trusting estate people or the State government took the opportunity to alter the status.

In the recent May 15, 2007 copy of the “Reach Out” magazine issued free to residents of Puchong by IOI Properties, there is a write-up about the Selangor State Exco, YB Tang See Hang, presenting the approved land title documents to the parish priest.

The tenure of the land was stated as 60 years when all the while the Church was under the impression that the land is freehold. At which stage did the status of the land turn from freehold to leasehold?

By the way the surrounding area is freehold. Right in front of the church is a fenced up freehold land which is earmarked for our community building. Recently we had some banners regarding our activities draped on the fence of this place. MPSJ staff in a MPSJ lorry came in the evening and took away those banners. Why?

- end quote -

All this talk about freedom of religion and Malaysia being a model for the world in terms of multireligious and multi ethnic society living in peace and harmony is a whitewash. Frankly, it's only because the minority races are the tolerant ones. It is the minority races and religions of Malaysia that ALWAYS turn the other cheek. They don't riot or make such matters into big political issues. However, try to shut down one mosque and see what happens, not even that, just talk about it and see the harsh and violent backlash from our Malay Muslim friends.

People, you have a choice. You can make your dissatisfaction known to the government by voting the other way. Many of us were raised to be Barisan supporters, however, times has changed the people in government and they have become more fanatical than before. UMNO increasingly is becoming arrogant and very much like PAS with such policies, MCA is ball-less and clue-less, while MIC is led by Samy, who will lead for another 20 years - we all know what that means.

Barisan was good to us in the days of old. But these days, the Malay Ultras are fast becoming no different from their competition in PAS. It's time for a change, or at least to balance the power in parliament. As of a few weeks ago, it seemed that Nazri owns the place, using inappropriate language and name calling - shame shame Nazri.

Here are some quotes:

"And where is the source of money used to build mosque? - Gambling tax, sales of alcohol tax, ……well it is not Haram business activities?… But it seems to be alright to build the mosques from Haram source of money…..
If they really care about haram or halal, it it holier to built the mosques from their own worshippers’ donation.:

"In PJ,within less than a square kilometre ,there are at least 10 mosques big and small.Can you imagine that?"

"Churches, buddist and hindu temples get built only through begging…whether for money or favours, whilst mosques get built under Malaysian plans and national budgets. What freedom…its a joke and as a result we lose our image through the eyes of potential investors. Any country which has a negative undercurrent will drive away investors..don’t these idiots know that."

- end quote -

Also found a link to the Church website... http://www.olgpuchong.org/.

Christians, Hindus and Buddhists, it is time for you to respond. There is no place for religious opression in Malaysia or for these "little napoleons" (or rather little bastard Hitlers) to impose their own brand of governanace upon us.

If you're not going to rally and protest, then, it's time for you to think about where and for whom you cast your votes. We are not opposition supporters, but we seek to attain our basic human rights, and in our case, voting the opposition gives a greater voice to those who will speak for us and NOT against us.

Threats to Society, Rapists: The Faces of 3 ANIMALS

2007-06-22T17:21:00.000+08:00

These are the 3 GODLESS BASTARDS who rammed a couple and their Proton Iswara off the road at approx. 10.30pm around Gelang Patah (near the Second Link to Singapore). They continued to chase the couple until their car broke down near Tampoi. They then abducted the couple, took them to a quiet place in Bukit Indah and brutally gang raped the girl after slashing her boyfriend's legs and forcing him to watch them rape her.

Burn these faces into your memory. You may encounter them at some point.

Only one of the above is named, on the left, Shahabdeen Haq SK Mohammed Ariff, the other two remain un-named. Apparently, the police claimed that they caught 14 people involved in the rapings. The public has yet to be shown their pictures.

It has not been formally published, however, rumour has it that they have all been released on bail. If this is true, then the Police really needs a slap up their head, releasing such predators back into society. The bastards should be castrated and whipped.

Shouldn't the police show these faces to the public? Isn't it our right to know what kinds of Animals lurk out there? Shouldn't we have the right to protect ourselves? In order to do so, don't we need to know what these bastards look like? Or is it because these crimes of brutality towards women are more frequently done by a particular race and you are embarrased? Yes, perhaps you may want to slap the sedition act against us, but isn't it true? Most news reports that we read of incest are usually Malay and occassionally Indian. Is it something that is troubling the community that is causing them to go in this direction? Surely, the government and the police don't know what to do or just can't be bothered. Yes it is embarassing, maybe it's time you try to understand the root cause of the problem because it's becoming more frequent and it affects all of us.

Don't attend to this, and in a matter of years, the once peaceful and beautiful country of Malaysia, blessed with all its culture and heratage will be just another Cape Town or regress and suffer a similar fate such as Manila.

Are these the people we are putting in place to lead our country? Yes. Can we do something about it? Yes. By voting for the opposition, we create a balance of voices in Parliament. Right now, Barisan has the majority in Parliament, so there is little that the opposition can do. For example, Lim Kit Siang's attempts to table these issues on Johor in Parliament last week failed, because it was of no interest to them. See link: Rampant crime and lawlessness - I apologise to JB people that Parliament has failed them

This is why we need to restore the balance of power in government. Because this is the price we pay for not voting or succumbing to Barisan Nasional's threats that should Barisan fall, the people will suffer under an Islamic extremist opposition... blah blah. However, doutful that even if the silent majority votes for the opposition, that they will take over the governance of our country. But there will be more of them in Parliament, and believe me, they will be eager to prove that they can do the job and have public interest at heart. BN has become complacent and over-confident with characters like Nazri (Nazri acting as Super-ACA and Super-AG to declare Johari innocent of RM5.5 million corruption allegations) and Khairi (Police Arrested Participants of a Peaceful Protest... ) running around. Both have made comments towards other races basically stating their "Malay Dominance" or Ketuanan Melayu.

It's time for change...

Johor Today: 2 More Rapings - Now they're underaged girls

2007-06-21T14:29:00.000+08:00

Six hours apart and in the midst of a public outcry over the brutal and outrageous violent rapings in Johor, 2 more rapings took place, only 6 hours apart from each other.

One 16 year old schoolgirl was abducted at a park in Taman Tasik Dahlia by Mat Rempits (quoted in the newspaper as 4 men on motorcycles, safe to assume as Mat Rempits move in groups and are involved in sex and vice). She was taken to a secluded spot at Tanjung Langsat where they took turns at raping her.

Another 15 year old schoolgirl was kidnapped at Tampoi, taken to a sewerage plant in Taman Teknologi Skudai and raped. The rapist is a man claiming to be a police officer who duped her into getting into his car when she couldn't produce her IC. The girl was brutally raped at knifepoint, while the man punched, slapped and bit her. He even ripped off her school uniform.

And what is the government and the police doing about it? Well, now that there is a growing petition and the public has shown it's anger and dissatisfaction in front of MB Ghani's house, the government has stepped up and approved the setting up of more police stations, police cars and police officers. So this is what it takes to get our government to get off their butts and serve public interests. You should have been more pro active in the first place and maybe these poor innocent women won't be suffering for your inattentiveness to public safety and security. After all, this isn't something that happened overnight. Johor Bahru has been a crime infested ghetto for years, and it's only been getting worse.

So, what the government is going to do (as quoted in the papers):
- 400 additional police personnel
- 3 new temporary police HQs in Seri Alam, Nusa Jaya and Kulai (RM6 mil has been approved for this)
- 200 more Proton cars for patrolling

However, here's what's wrong with this picture.

- IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan said that the 400 additional personnel will be sent to patrol the streets of Johor Bahru over the next few days.
Don't you think that crime in JB can happen anytime and just putting people there over the next week won't really help things in the long run
- 11 new police stations will be set up soon
What does soon mean? When will there be a definate answer as to when?
- The 3 new HQs will be good, but the problem is not going to be solved just by putting a new building there.
The problem are the police officers, they need to be put on a schedule and be made to patrol the streets and neighborhoods properly. Everyone knows that although the government has purchased a few billion RM worth of cars for the Police, we never see them patrolling or waiting around street corners and so on. We only see them when they want "duit kopi" at roadblocks or when they are escorting some Minister.
- Tan Sri Musa Hassan, quoted as saying “These 400 policemen will help those presently doing crime prevention rounds."
Really? Where? I have hardly seen the cops patrolling in their new and fancy Wajas. IGP Musa must be dreaming or clearly not in control of his own police force because this is typical, the top brass have a wonderful view of what his captains are feeding him, and is completely unaware of what's happening on the ground. Perhaps he sees the police patrolling his neighborhood (because he lives there) and thinks, "Oh yes, I have made this country safer". Bullshit! IGP Musa, get off your ass and open your eyes, live like one of us and realise what is really happening.

What the police really needs is a proper house cleaning. Processes need to be revamped and controls need to be put in place to ensure the officers are doing their jobs. I believe that the intentions are good, with having more patrol cars, but what's the point if there is no system to ensure that the patrol cars are actually being fully utilised and maximised? It cannot be more obvious that the Johor police at Larkin doesn't need more cars, just see for yourself when you pass by the massive station with all the cars. But they are just sitting there, doing nothing.

Perhaps the government approved the budget to buy the cars but not the budget for petrol? I wouldn't be surprised. Because if it were budgeted for and not utilised, then naturally an internal query will take place on the underutilisation when they are audited. Ops, or are the auditors being paid off too?

The NST article:

JOHOR BARU: Two girls, one 15 years old and the other 16, yesterday became the latest victims in a rash of brutal rapes over the past two months.

In the first incident, a 16-year-old was abducted by four men on motorcycles from a park in Taman Tasik Dahlia about 1am. The men, in their 20s and 30s, took her to a secluded spot at Tanjung Langsat, some 20km away, where they took turns to rape her. They then sent her back to the park, where she caught a taxi and went home. She lodged a report the next morning, police said.

About five-and-a-half hours later in Senai, the 15-year-old was taken to the sewerage treatment plant in Taman Teknologi Skudai and brutally raped.The Form Three student and her 13-year-old brother were waiting in Jalan Ledang for their bus to school when a man claiming to be a police officer stopped and asked for their identity cards.When the pair told him they had left them at home, he told them to get in the car to go to collect them.During the drive, the suspect, in his 30s, began asking the girl inappropriate questions about herself. When they arrived at the children’s Tampoi home, he told her brother to go into the house and get the ICs. He then sped off with the girl.

At the plant, he held a knife to her neck and brutally raped her. Her school uniform was ripped off and she was slapped, punched and bitten. After forcing himself on her, the man gave her his jeans and T-shirt and took off, said police.

The girl was picked up by two women on the main road who took her home after calling her mother on a mobile phone.

It is learnt that the girl’s mother had called the school to check whether her daughter was there. It is said the teacher took more than half-an-hour to call the mother back. And when it became clear the girl was missing, the teacher did not immediately call the police, but went to the girl’s home to ask for more information.

A police report was lodged at the Tampoi police station several hours later. The girl said the man had curly hair and tanned skin.

The two rapes come on the back of a demonstration on Sunday, in which residents voiced their anger over a rash of robberies and gang rapes over the past two months.

In response, police have said the public should alert them to suspicious behaviour or crimes through their hotlines or via text messaging.

Police Arrested Participants of a Peaceful Protest

2007-06-19T17:31:00.000+08:00

The people of Johor Bahru, obviously dissatisfied with the rising crime rate in their towns, decided to stage a peaceful protest in front of the Menteri Besar's home in Saujana along Jalan Rahman Andak. It has been reported that about 200 people were involved in the protest.

As quoted in the NST, when tensions began to rise, the JB South Police Chief ACP Shafie Ismail asked the crowd to disperse as they did not have a permit to hold a public gathering!

Now, answer us this. When Condoleezza Rice came to Kuala Lumpur, Khairi Jamaluddin led a mob of protesters who tried to force their way into the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. Their intentions were to hand a memorandum expressing the feelings of the Malaysian people (not all, maybe Muslims only). The memorandum can be summarised by what he is quoted as saying...

"The United States is abetting the violence by Israel against Lebanon and is part and parcel of what is happening to the Lebanese and Palestinian people," he said. "Rice is here at the invitation of the Malaysian Government. "It is their decision but the majority of the Malaysian people do not want her here, as the United States is not doing anything to stop the genocide in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip." (Read news article here: http://www.wholinks2me.com/videos/search/jamaluddin/)

See, above, Khairi Jamaluddin, the Deputy UMNO Youth Chief and also Son-in-law of Prime Minister Badawi, leading a mob of 2,000 protesters after friday prayers from a mosque nearby chanting anti-American and anti-Israel slogans. The demonstration lasted 3 hours until the protesters and Khairi even managed to push their way past the FRU line. They further squatted outside the convention centre for another 2 hours.

However, Khairi wasn't arrested. Neither did he seem to be rapped or reprimanded by his father in law Prime Minister or his party elders. Perhaps the Police (in this case FRU) was protecting him, because under normal circumstances, any force against the FRU is usually met with beatings, rubber bullets and water cannons. Not to mention as Khairy clearly broke the law and staged a massive protest that had the potential and makings of a violent one, he was spared the beating and even arrest! AMAZING!

Considering that Khairy, with his position and family status, potentially embarrassed our nation in the eyes of the western world, I'm amazed that he wasn't stripped of his party post. We shouldn't encourage extremists and hooligans to be leaders of our country and in his position, as a role model for the Malay Youth.

And for one small show of anger about the rising crime rate in Johor Bahru in front of a Minister's house, 2 people are arrested for refusing to leave and distributing flyers. No show of force was made, neither was anyone injured. And these protests are for a valid cause - one that affects us all and the Police arrested 2 people.

Why don't they follow the precedence they set? If a Politician can go on the streets and round up the Mat Rempits and stage an Anti-American rally in the face of world media and the US Secretary of State, then why can't the people state their demands and dissatisfaction to our government about the poor state of safety and security in Johor Bahru?

So, the role of the Police is only to protect the Politicians (or the ones who matter) and for the rest of us, we can all jolly well go to hell.

Thank you very much, this is what I get for paying for your raises and bonuses. Thank you people in government for ensuring that your interests are safeguarded and mine, well, what do we matter - we're just commoners.

For those of you who wish to state your protest, please use the link below, where members of the Malaysian Bar have provided contact numbers for you to state your protest. Numbers include that of the ASP of the Police Station in JB South, IGP and SUHAKAM.

The article by the Malaysian Bar states:

"The Federal Constitution of Malaysia and international Human Rights law enshrine freedom of assembly, the arbitrary arrests by police is clearly an abuse of power and a persecution to activists who tried to expose the slack attitude of the police force in resolving crimes. "

and

"The police of Johor Bahru is wasting public monies in intimidating human rights defenders instead of doing their job of busting the crimes."

http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/content/view/9407/2/

The two arrested are; Nyam Kee Han (pictured above) and See Siew Min

Please state your protest against the arrest of the 2 activists via sms, faxes or phone calls. Information available via the link above.

Face of an ANIMAL: Shahabdeen Haq SK Mohammed Ariff

2007-06-18T14:08:00.000+08:00

This is one of the 14 accused of the string of rapes cum robberies in Johor.

This is the face of a GODLESS BASTARD who is inhumane and cruel. A Spawn of Satan no less.

This is a face that everyone must remember and should be burned into everyone's mind, for this is the face of a man with NO SOUL.

A RAPIST of UNDERAGED women and also those who are PREGNANT. What he and his band of DEMON worshippers unto those women will forever mortify them as they will have memories of those tragic moments almost everyday of their lives.

We owe the creation of such people to people and politicians such as Khairy who so strongly support and believe in the rehabilitation of gangs such as Mat Rempit by providing them with facilities, paid by the public, to continue their vices. We believe that such people start somewhere and these are the places that they could have come from. How are a bunch of freewheeling motorcyclists who are high on drugs - useful members of our society?

Eventually, these people become people like those pictured above. Useless SCUM who will eventually terrorise and harm others. Because you can't be a freewheeling idiot forever. And because they have no education, well, robbery is the next best way of making a living. And since the JAIS / religious departments go all out to curb Muslims from having pre-marital sex, such people can no longer take their horneyness to a hotel room, and now resorts to raping women.

We live in a country where on one hand, we have a politician who supports Mat Rempits who are drug users and who win sexual favors, and on the other hand, we have the religious police such as JAIS who go around bothering old and aged foreigners and accusing them of Khalwat (close proximity that is forbidden in Islam).

Somehow, the government agenda is not aligned. This creates the animals like the one pictured above.

Police was INDIFFERENT, no ACTION WAS TAKEN

2007-06-18T11:41:00.000+08:00

Extracted from the Singapore publication, The New Paper.

...The 27-year-old salesman was in tears as he recounted his brother's distress calls. Recalling the second call, he said his brother had shouted: 'The car has stalled!'

He then heard a commotion, then May screaming: 'They have a knife!' before the phone was snatched away.

His parents went to a police station to make a report, but no action was taken.

The brother then drove to the Gelang Patah area himself to try to look for them. He spotted a patrol car and flagged it down. He said he begged the three police officers inside to help search for the couple, but the officers were unmoved and later drove off.

A Johor police spokesman said the unfortunate situation had arisen because the robbery and rape took place in different jurisdictions. He said that when the public call the police, they need time to ascertain the location and situation of the crime, and delays may result.

He said the matter would be investigated thoroughly.

The Article: http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,133057,00.html?

The Silent Majority's opinion:

In Tun Haniff Omar's recent article in the NST on Sunday, he said "What in heaven's name is going on?" Yes, what is going on?

The police being non-responsive to public calls for help. They are obviously not taking these calls for help seriously, and this is the result, robberies and rapings committed within hours of reports being filed due to NO ACTION BY THE POLICE.

If the Police had acted and called out their battalion of police cars parked at the Larkin Police Station, perhaps they could have isolated the criminals by way of patrols and road blocks. They already had the location and a lead, it wouldn't have been difficult to deploy resources.

Filing a Police report basically means that they FILE IT and DO NOTHING. Anybody who has filed a police report would know this, there is never any follow up. So it's a futile effort.

Even when the brother took it upon himself to search for his brother and girlfriend, and eventually managed to stop a Police Patrol car, all 3 Police officers were un-fazed and just drove off!! What kind of human being doesn't make an attempt to help someone in such a dire situation? Furthermore, those who are paid by us taxpayers and who are tasked with protecting the public!

It's obvious that the recent pay rises, plural (more than 1 raise) has not changed their attitude. These are things that WE, as TAXPAYERS are paying for and THIS IS WHAT WE GET?! INDIFFERENCE?

We, as the Silent Majority should and will PUNISH the GOVERNMENT in the NEXT ELECTIONS. Why should we vote a government who makes bad fiscal calls? We should observe what happens in the near future and see whether there are RESULTS and an INQUIRY made by the government into the INCOMPETANCE and NEGLEGENCE of the POLIS DI-RAJA MALAYSIA.

This must not be allowed to go on. You will have your say, MAKE IT KNOWN, either at the BALLOT BOX or in PROTESTING.

If you wish, you can start by SIGNING the PETITION being collated by the Johor Bahru Tiong-Hua Federation You may sign the petition or view it at this site: http://jbtalks.cc/petition/index.php

As a citizen, you have the right to voice your opinion and make your dissatisfaction known. And you should. The days of the timid and easily swayed Chinese community needs to come to an end, because the Chinese are increasingly becoming victims of their own silence and tolerance. By saying this, we are not saying that we should execute this by violent means. We can take the power away from those whom we put in office in the first place, who are obviously not doing their jobs and serving the public.

We need to make known to all these Politicians that they need to address these matters of great public importance and we don't only want lip service. We want to see results and this doesn't mean spending more money on Police cars that are hardly used to Patrol, or Police Officers who are indifferent and irresponsible.

For those of you who do not have children, and do not think this will affect you, think again. If you are staying in another part of the country, and think that this is isolated to Johor, think again. Do you really want to follow in the footsteps of our narrow minded politicians who are also shortsighted and wait for the situation to become so dire that it will take a decade to bring order back to the streets? Do the right thing.

Brutal Gang Rapes in Johor Targeting Chinese Community

2007-06-17T22:53:00.000+08:00

The recent robberies cum gang rapes in Johor has enraged the public, bringing a bout of criticism and outrage against the Police for their slow response in fighting crime. Here is the summary of what has transpired in the last month:

1. First robbery and rape happened at Tampoi where 3 men carjacked a pregnant woman and her son from a petrol station while her husband was taking a nature break. They subsequently took the woman to a secluded area and brutally gang raped her in her son's presence.

2. On May 22nd, another gang rape took place in Pantai Lido where a couple were driving along the Pasir Gudang Highway, when their car was rammed from behind, in an attempt by the predators to have them stop. Sensing something amiss, the victim driver attempted to escape but was forced to stop when the car broke down. This was when the rapists abducted the woman and stole the car and eventually raped her

3. The last occurance was a brutal gang raping of a 19 year old girl, on 11 June, in a similar situation where they were forced to stop due to the predators ramming their car in Johor. In this case, the girl and her boyfriend were abducted. When the boyfriend attempted to escape, the rapists slashed his legs, preventing his escape and forced him to witness the raping of his girlfriend.

It was identified that the cuprits and animals of these horrific crimes are by the Sagol Gang. A Malay gang based in a town near Johor Bahru. They have seemed to target Chinese victims, though the papers have not published any such information until now, when mention has been made of the public in Johor Bahru sending SMSes in a campaign to rally public support to highlight the matter to the police and to make them aware that they are not doing their jobs, even after they have received salary increases that have benefitted them.

At this assembly, MCA representatives were present and the OCPD was asked to speak before the public. However, he only sent his deputy, DSP Leow Kian Heung, also the head of the State Crime Prevention Unit. He was apparently booed and jeered and had to cut his speech short and leave.

In the meantime, the Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Gahni Othman who is also the Johor Security and Safety Committee Chairman, said that they will beef up police manpower, patrol vehicles and equipment quickly.

Well, I can personally tell you that there is no need for them to beef up police men and vehicles. In the recent year, the government publicised that they have thousands of cadets graduation from their police academy and they will be deployed all over the country. The government has also spent billions on new Proton Wajas and Perdanas meant to serve the public by way of more police patrols. But what are all these resources really doing? Well, just go into any police station and you will see why. Many are just sitting behind their counters having chats and catch up sessions. All the police station needs is a Mamak stall attached, and it will be no different from a Mamak stall where everyone just sits arounds to talk about the weather.

From my observation of the main police station in the Larkin district, I can tell you that I see many police cars parked in the compound. All the bays are mostly full. So, this is what the government spent our taxes on, vehicles for the police in a whitewash to show to the public..."Yes, we know you need security, see now, we have spent 2 billion ringgit on Protons (possibly those that couldn't be sold) and now you can sleep easy". Right. They are just sitting there rusting away.

So what is the problem here? Here are two possible options:

1. The police are using these cars to ferry themselves to the mamak stall or to locations where they can make "duit kopi" to spend at the mamak stalls... or..

2. The Polis Diraja Malaysia as a whole has absolutely no plan or idea of how to deploy these patrol cars and how to organise their people in shifts to ensure that there are always cops on the road monitoring traffic and keeping neighborhoods safe. Mind you, even if they did, the cops have no initiative to really keep their eyes on the surroundings that they are supposed to be monitoring, because on many occassions, I have noticed that the car that occassionally patrols my neighborhood is not moving at a slow enough pace for them to really take a look and see whether anything is amiss. Most times, the car has 2-4 people and they are chatting, and not watching.

So... the police use the 2 billion ringgit spent on cars to "makan angin" la. How nice. But in the meantime, some women are being brutally raped by some sex deprived animals called the Sagol Gang. They should just call themselves the Rogol Gang. Fucking Retards.

So now that the 14 members of this gang has been apprehended, the MCA State Chief Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek, is urging the public to remain calm and not let racial sentiment get in the way. For God's sake man, why are you protecting the Malays? Do you really think that this is not a racial matter? IT IS! The chinese are being targeted by these Malay gangs and this is the best you can say? How would you feel if it was your wife, daughter, sister or family member who was brutally raped in front of you? And they slashed your legs to keep you from escaping? Don't patronise your people man. You want to win the next election or not?

The people need a better explanation for this and not some bullshit rhetoric. And the people have the right to demand for an explanation and to see RESULTS and ACTION being taken.

We are all paying for our government's inability to govern the nation and keep the people safe. The police are far too laid back to really be relied upon. My personal experience in calling in a sighting of robbers attempting to enter my home; approximately 30-40 minutes, when the police station is only 5-10 minutes away. NO EXCUSES!

In the US, the police has the ability to respond within 5-10 minutes. Most of the calls are picked up and attended to by PATROLLING CARS.

But I suppose in our society, when the Police are happily lining their stomaches ... or their pockets, it will take them a little while longer to really attend to those who really need them.

You, as a citizen and non citizens included can act now... an online petition has been formed by the Johor Bahru Tiong-Hua Federation chaired by Alex Lua. You may sign the petition or view it at this site: http://jbtalks.cc/petition/index.php

Make your unhappiness known, and make it a big thing. I think that we have been keeping too quiet about this for too long. It's time to make your opinion known and strong measures should be taken.

Even our former Police Chief Tun Hanif Omar has said that "Assurances alone that police action will be taken are not enough. The public wants to see results" (Quoted Article: Throw Out Bad Apples in the NST, 17 June 2007; Views F33). He also said "It is obvious that these bad apples (recalcitrant and lazy police officers) are not at all inspired by their recent pay rise. They must be weeded out".

Local Authorities Conspiracy to Commit Extortion

2007-06-09T19:33:00.000+08:00

And again, dirty cops, conspiracy to commit extortion of now, an innocent trader. You may think this is a one off thing. No it isn't.

Our authorities have been involved in a whole host of crimes against citizens. I am sure that the reported story below on the 10th May 07 is one of many unreported cases. This is certainly more than just a bribe or one may say, extortion of RM50-100 for traffic offences.

What I hear from some very reliable sources, as well as the victims themselves is that the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, as well as the Enforcement Officers of City Hall or DBKL have been conspiring and extorting money from the DVD peddlers who are selling pirated DVDs.

Apparently, the proceeds from the raids, meaning the DVDs that are consfiscated in the tenths of thousands are subsequently resold to the peddlers and syndicates whom they were originally consfiscated from at a price of a few thousand Ringgit for a batch of discs. Obviously this isn't something that is sanctioned by the government, but it is obvious that this goes high enough whereby the entire department can turn a blind eye, auditors and gatekeepers are silenced and the many people who make it work are well protected from scrutiny.

What seems to irritate the peddlers is that the officers think that they owe them a living and that they are getting fat on cheating the public, the MPAA and that they have to buy back what was originally theirs. However, due to shortage of supply, this is welcome and the price is paid

Our hearts actually go out to the DVD peddlers, not so much that we enjoy buying and watching movies that would otherwise be unaffordable to us at RM150 for an original. The local cuts are rubbish, no THX, DTS or surround sound, and they are also censored by FINAS who applies strick Islamic thinking that a mother kissing a child is "haram" a sin and shouldn't be shown. Much less, the occassional kissing and revealing clothes. Did we say that it's also about RM60 per DVD?

But really, our hearts go out to them because they have families as well, and although they are peddling pirated copies to the public, they are not involved in the vices that plague our cities, they don't hurt anyone and they just go about their day ensuring that we have a free flow of information that is uncensored for our un-interrupted viewing pleasure. The only one who sufferes is the MPAA and some large production companies like Universal and MGM that already make a killing in the developed world.

Fact is, we are a developing nation, though it may be wrong, piracy has done it's good for us. Not only for the movies, but also all the software.

Wrong? Bad? Immoral? If you think so, think again...

A short and simple example. A kid learns how to use Photoshop, a software that would easily be RM5,000, and he becomes proficient in it and applies it in school and has a genuine interest. He eventually becomes a graphic artist or a computer programmer. Who is to say? No family would spend that much to buy software, or even RM600 for Windows Vista. Just so that their child can experiment with it, eventually get bored and lose interest? No, it doesn't happen, not in a developing nation.

Software piracy has help build the proficiency of our nation's people and enabled the ones who can least afford it and the ignorant to experience it and learn something about it. What we have today, is a result of that. All it takes is interest and RM10 to get a copy.

As wrong as it sounds, there is good that has come from it. Our government fails to see what they are supporting and what the nation needs. They are supporting western values of developed countries that can already afford these things.

However, as I understand that the people in government are mostly now from the 20,000 local graduates that couldn't get jobs in the private sector due to language proficiency and substandard understandings of their degrees, I suppose, that some dimwitted idea would have come from one of these people, probably because they don't see the benefit of it, didn't benefit from it and is obviously computer illiterate. They are most likely the ones surfing for porn rather than reading articles like this from the world of free information and enlightening themselves. God help them and God help us all.

Two cops arrested after trader reports extortion

KUALA LUMPUR: Two policemen were arrested early yesterday for allegedly extorting RM21,000 from a night market trader.

Both the policemen, said to be lance corporals in their 40s, were arrested at the Sentul district police headquarters when they came in for questioning.One is said to be attached to the city police headquarters and the other is from the Sentul district. They were remanded for three days.

The 42-year-old trader, who lodged a report at the Taman Melawati police station, claimed he had been extorted twice within the past two weeks.In both cases, the same suspects are believed to be involved. However, it is learnt that investigators are looking for at least one other suspect.In the first incident about two weeks ago, the trader was at his stall when he was approached by three men who introduced themselves as policemen.

They arrested him for allegedly being involved in illegal gaming. The trader was told that he would be released if he paid them RM15,000.The money was brought by the victim’s son to a police station in Setapak, and the victim was released.

Last Wednesday, while the trader was at his stall about 9pm, he was again approached by three men. It is not known if they were the same men.The three men told the trader that they wanted to check his car. They did not find anything. The trader was then ordered to drive the three to a foodcourt in Bandar Baru Sentul.

He told police that the three demanded another RM15,000. The trader appealed and the amount was reduced to RM6,000.Once again, the trader contacted his son, who brought the money to the foodcourt.

After that, the trader claimed he received several calls from one of the suspects who demanded more money.

Fed up, he lodged the police report.

State Funds and the Unfairness of State and Federal Government Directives

2007-05-12T01:22:00.002+08:00

There is no real freedom of religion in Malaysia. It’s all a whitewash to paint a wonderful picture - of old - basically saying that we are a multicultural, multireligious nation where everyone gets along, when in actuality, there are racist undertones driven by matters such as these. I believe that the people are getting tired and having the wool pulled over our eyes.

I don't think people of other faiths have issues with the spreading of the word of Islam. But why are they constantly being prevented from exercising their religious rights?

Unless you have ever been involved or close to the establishment of a religious society, temple / church premises you will never see and understand what our government does to prevent it from happening.

Some examples:

1. The catholic church in Shah Alam, property was given to the church by the Sultan of Selangor for the parish to gather their funds to build the Church. Just after the ground breaking, and construction begins, the state government comes in and revokes the right to build the church.
2. Buddhist Monks and Priests always seem to have problems gaining entry into the country. Their Visa’s are never more than 1 month and usually they are not allowed to extend their stay. How then will qualified religious scholars preach?
3. The Catholic Church has a shortage of priests, so much so that they have old and aged priests, one who is a stroke patient, having to perform Mass.

In other cases, even if you had the money, you can’t build your Church or Temple as it wouldn’t be approved by the state government. However, mosques are everywhere. Just look at the Wangsa Maju and Ulu Kelang area, why need there be so many? Also, mosques are built using state funds and state funds are gained from taxes not only paid by Muslims, but by those of other faiths.

Sure, people don't mind if you want to build mosques that cost tenths of millions of ringgit, a real waste if you ask me. Just see the Jalan Duta mosque that is built on prime property that was sponsored by the Ministry of Finance. But what people won’t accept is the inequality and the misuse of public funds to build these mosques whilst you denying other faiths their right to more churches and temples. The best part, we aren’t even challenging the fact that the government doesn’t subsidise the building of our places of worship.

So in the meantime, while you build another enormous mosque in Wangsa Maju (near Jusco), the money spent by the project sponsors - DBKL, fails to address the poor road conditions that are used by thousands of residents and the public every day.

In the case of the Goddess of Mercy project, what does it matter what distance it is from a mosque? Is it because it stands taller than a mosque and therefore some small minded individuals feel that it represents a greater faith than Islam? Well, if this is so, then it is the government’s duty to educate these people because it isn’t the case.

Isn’t it unfair that everyone, accept the state government’s “bulldozing” decision to build cemeteries in prime areas like Kota Damansara and Desa Kiara (Along the NKVE), even infringing the law by demolishing forest reserve land and by doing so, destroying property values. While the same people impose upon us that we cannot build our places of worship here and there.

Consider this, the non Muslim cemetery's now have to be built far out in the “boonies”. Such as the Nilai Memorial Park that is a great distance from the city. If some people can have the convenience, some others would like that too.

It’s time for these issues to come into the open, there is only so much and so long people can tolerate this.

Freedom of Religion in Malaysia - A Fallacy

2007-05-09T16:10:00.000+08:00

It's our constitutional right to enjoy our freedom to practice our and worship as we like. But yet, there are people in our government and authorities who by their abuse of authority and narrow minded-ness , do their earnest best to prevent the proliferation of any other religion but Islam.

The following articles extracted from The Star are examples and of such injustice. One may read them and feel, well, they are going to sort out their problems. There are parties that seem to want to resolve this amicably. True. By saying resolve, they mean; stalling the project and insisting on their way forward for the perceived benefit of their religion and narrow beliefs.

In this case, I would ultimately like to see the project continue and the authorities see the value of it, as well as educating the objecting parties that we live in a multiracial and multireligious country and this is part of learning to live together.

What does a mosque and a Taoist statue, in "close proximity" symbolise? It symbolises the hormony between religions, races and the people. That at least 2 religions can co-exist without conflict. It symbolises to the Chinese and Buddhists that the government is also sincere in their attempts to break the segregating barriers between races and that the will of our Malay Ministers and Muslim countrymen will not be imposed upon us. In doing this, other people of other religious faiths will also take this as a beacon of hope.

But you see, the issue is not really the proximity of mosque and statue, it's the height of the statue. Apparently, in the attempt to build the Catholic Church in Shah Alam (which was later retracted by the Selangor State Government), the architechts were told that the highest part of the Church should be no taller than the tallest mosque in the area. Though no explanation is given, the perception is that certain people feel that Islam's superiority over other religions is denoted by the lower rooftops of the other religious buildings.

Malaysia, in its early days did not have such issues and the government didn't impose such things until the 80s or thereabouts. Taking this matter to another level, Churches are not allowed to be built even if the parish has money to do so. However, mosques are built everywhere on the basis that there should be 1 mosque per every 3-400 muslims. Better still, the public thru taxes pay for the building of these mosques, regardless if they are non-Muslim. How unfair is that? Further to that, based on the mosque quota above, the time has arrived where there are so many, that the "location is important" said by Tan Sri Hamid will no longer be possible for other religious sites. This is evident today where there are so many mosques around, many which are marble clad and gigantic, paid for by ALL Malaysian Citizens, while Christians and Buddhists have to resort to preaching and worshipping in little shophouses.

Many people whom I have spoken to say that we shouldn't rock the boat and should be thankful that this government even allows us to practice our faiths in a small way. We are thankful for the leeway we are given.

But I ask why?

Why should I pay for a mosque and not even get a temple or church in exchange? Isn't this a violoation of my religious rights, my constutional rights and my human rights?

It is the job of the government to ensure that quarters that object in such situations are put to rest and managed. Instead, they are supporting them.

Clearly if this is the case, then perhaps this is another reason why I should take my chances with the opposition.

Malaysia in its early days, was a place where

‘Leave Ma Tzu out of politics’

KOTA KINABALU:The Buddhist Foundation said the issue arising from the construction of the Ma Tzu Goddess of the Sea statue in Kudat should not be turned into a political issue.

Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat resigned as deputy chief minister. The foundation’s Sabah and Labuan chairman Tsen Nyuk Vun hoped the state government and the Kudat Ma Tzu Foundation would arrive at an amicable solution.

Work on the 27-metre statue was stopped following objections from several organisations that it was located too close to the district mosque.

The decision prompted Tanjung Kapor assemblyman Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat, who mooted its construction, to resign as deputy chief minister and tourism, culture and environment minister.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman had on Monday revealed that the state government had offered an alternative site for the statue and agreed to compensate the costs incurred so far.

Tsen was among 50 religious leaders who met with Musa at his office on Monday.

During the meeting, Musa explained that he had never objected to the project and that the stop-work order had nothing to do with curtailing religious freedom.

"We sincerely hope the state government and the Kudat Ma Tzu Foundation will seek an amicable solution on the matter," Tsen said in a statement on behalf of 10 Buddhist bodies in Sabah and Labuan.

He said they were happy with the chief minister’s reassurance of freedom of religion as guaranteed in the Federal Constitution.

"We should encourage the peaceful coexistence of different religions to promote mutual respect, understanding and harmony to build a better society in Sabah and in Malaysia as a whole," he added.

Be more sensitive to religious issues, leaders told

PUTRAJAYA: Political leaders, regardless of the parties they represent, must remain sensitive to religious issues, no matter how trivial.

Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Othman, religious adviser to the prime minister, said such issues must never be politicised as this could disrupt peace and stability."There must be alternatives and solutions to every problem. "As political party leaders, they must refrain from making statements that can lead to provocation or anger. "They must be tolerant of each other and seek solutions that will ensure the continued religious and ethnic coexistence among all the races," he added. Hamid was referring to the controversy over the Ma Tzu Goddess of the Sea statue in Kudat, which had resulted in the resignation of Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat as the Sabah deputy chief minister.

Chong wanted the 27-metre statue to be built, but Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman had ordered the work to be stopped. Musa said the decision to stop the construction followed objections from other quarters.

During a meeting with 50 Christian, Buddhist and Taoist leaders, Musa said the United Sabah Islamic Association, Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia, Persatuan Belia Intelek Kudat, Kudat As-Syakirin mosque committee and Umno Kudat were unhappy with the site for the statue. They objected because the statue was being built too close to the district mosque. Musa said the state government had offered an alternative site for the statue and agreed to pay compensation for the cost incurred. He accused Chong of trying to politicise the issue, adding that the original site of the statue had been given to a shipping company to put up a building.

Hamid said constructing places of worship for all races had never been a problem. "It is not an issue at all, but the location matters."So, it becomes the responsibility of all quarters and the leaders to find a suitable site that will not create problems for someone else. "Sensitivity of the location must never be overlooked," he said.

Rapists Impersonating Police Roam Free - Why?

2007-05-09T15:21:00.000+08:00

Yes, this is a known fact, the article below isn't the first case. We have heard this before, somebody wearing a Policeman's uniform, Military uniform etc. and eventually conning somebody or raping some poor woman.

So how will the rakyat ever know whether the person they are dealing with is an impersonator?

Very simply, there are shops in Pertama Complex in Kuala Lumpur that sell all sorts of government uniforms mentioned above. They even sell handcuffs, trunchents and full regalia including the badges. All are government issue. So anybody, can go there and buy these things, and they aren't expensive.

I had a friend in the US Air Force who asked me to help him buy a camouflage suit, coz he likes collecting military wear of other countries. And I did, it was easy, like buying something at Giordano. No ID was requested, no questions asked.

I believe an investigative reporter did an article in the Star or NST (over a year ago) on these merchants in Pertama Complex and found out the same things I did, except he found out that they were also selling handcuffs and even asked whether he would like to buy the sargeant's badges as well.

What I'd like to know is why do such merchants exist? Shouldn't the sale of official government uniforms be procured and distributed by their respectful departments? I believe in most countries this would be the case. Otherwise, it's as good as selling them in the pasar malam.

I have a theory, and simply, I believe it's because there is someone in the background cashing in on this as a private business can be manipulated in ways to pass on profits to "invisible" shareholders.

I cannot think of any reason why the procurement and distribution of official military or police uniforms should reside outside the care of the respective departments and authorities. How else will they control who and ensuring that the right people get the correct uniform to ensure that they do not go around mis-representing themselves and causing harm.

That would be the root cause of the problem, not what has been suggested by Johor Baru (South) Deputy OCPD Supt Roslan Zainuddin, which is to ask for their Police ID. Besides, what does a Police ID look like. I have never seen one and I wouldn't be able to tell the forged from the genuine. There should be a campaign with posters showing what a these IDs looks like.

This is a big problem, it is a loose end that creates opportunities for vice and the sad thing is, you won't think it's a problem until it happens to you or your loved ones. Again, this is the price we pay for a government that doesn't pay attention to the little details that will either make or break this country.

Crime in Malaysia, Johor especially is so high, anybody who was aware, wouldn't even want to invest in the place, let alone for a holiday visit.

Today it's a Indonesian worker, tomorrow it could be your child, wife or sister... who's to know. Will you continue to stand for this sort of neglegence?

Indon job-seeker robbed, raped by ‘cops’

JOHOR BARU: An Indonesian woman who came here looking for a job was robbed and raped by two police impersonators.

The 29-year-old victim had taken a shortcut through a back alley to get to her hostel in Jalan Pelangi at 1.30pm yesterday when the two men stopped her.

They showed her a pair a handcuffs and asked for her identification documents. When she could not produce the papers, the men told her to get on one of their motorcycles. Instead of taking her to the police station, they rode to a plantation where they raped her and took her belongings.

The woman, who managed to find her way out of the area, sought the assistance of passers-by to send her to the police station.

In another case, a 52-year-old woman was raped after she accepted the offer of a “good Samaritan.”

The man drove her to a shopping complex and even offered to pay for her spectacles. Later, he took her to a secluded spot and raped her in the car.

Johor Baru (South) Deputy OCPD Supt Roslan Zainuddin appealed to those with information on both cases to contact the police hotline at 07-221 2999 or the nearest police station. He also advised people when stopped to demand policemen show their authority card.

But in the end Malaysia Still Boleh!

2007-05-09T00:28:00.001+08:00

But for all the wrong things... Here is another mess that isn't being properly addressed in our country. The Mat Rempit. Basically, thugs on small CC motorcycles that are between 70cc to 125cc who tune them up to perform speeds exceeding 120kph. They ride in groups and they act like gangsters on the road. Should one of them ever collide with your vehicle, and is hurt, it would be deemed to be your fault and should you get out of your vehicle or not escape, you will be beaten up with their helmets and whatever weapons they have. It has been reported previously that they have attacked without reason.

What does the police do... apart from not being around, well, they occassionally run "operasi" and do silly things like throw them in jail for one night or make them push their motorcycles 2 kilometers to the police station. Frankly, they should have their bikes confiscated and they should face a jail term. The fines should also be for each offence in terms of each modification on their bike, which I have always understood is illegal. It was illegal to change mufflers and modify engines and so forth, but none of this is enforced even when they are caught.

So what happens? They get back on a few weeks later and make a damn niusance of themselves.

Again, something our government has failed to address. They catch the Chinese pirated DVD sellers who are just making an "honest" living. Well, at least they are not hurting anyone or being a nuisance to anyone other than the MPAA. But so what, people buy DVDs not because they cannot afford to goto the cinema, it's to collect and also watch all the nice bits that our friendly people at FINAS / Ministry of Information a.k.a Censorship Board censor. Things like partial nudity, swear words - including bitch and bastard, kissing scenes and so forth. It's our only avenue to get the real deal. And of course, buying the original means forking out about RM120+ for the Region 1 version, which is a lot more than what the Singaporeans pay.

So back to the Mat Rempit... they are violent, the source of all sorts of vice, they are usually high on drugs and they are a real threat to society. How do they compare to some DVD seller just making a living and feeding his family? Hey... prioritise la... anyway, the government will pay for this dearly in the next elections.

There are stories from the DVD sellers that I will share soon enough, and they are all about how the enforcing authorities line their pockets, and this is not even about straightforward bribes... if there is one thing these people are good at, it's finding the best way to make their lives easier... always.

Malaysia Bodoh! Part 2

2007-05-08T18:25:00.000+08:00

...and this is part 2 of the article that raised a strong response from the government and some staunch supporters... the guy just took the words out of my mouth...
Part 2
The response to my recent column 'While Malaysia fiddles, its opportunities are running dry', published in The Age newspaper on November 15 has been overwhelming. I've received hundreds of e-mails and messages, many from Malaysians both in Malaysia and outside, of which perhaps 95% have been supportive. Thank you for these. It seems that the column has given voice to concerns that many Malaysians have.

I'd like to emphasise (and as many of you realise already), that I wrote
the column as constructive criticism. I like Malaysia very much. I visit often and have many Malaysian friends of all races. I've also written a lot that is positive about Malaysia in the past, most notably in a previous book of mine - The Asian Insider: Unconventional Wisdom for Asian Business, which has no less than five chapters to explain to people outside Malaysia why I feel that Malaysiashould be given more credit than it gets.

There have been many achievements. There is much about which Malaysians can be proud. Malaysia, for example, is far more politically mature and developed than is Singapore. The media is more open too (but of course not asopen as it could or should be.) Malaysians are more entrepreneurial too. AirAsia started in Malaysia and has revolutionised air travel across Asia. In Singapore, there is very much a sense that the government has to doeverything.

I also believe that the NEP, which has seen special advantages given to
bumiputeras over other groups, has been important for Malaysia. It has been essential for nation building. Malaysia is peaceful and while the various groups may not mix much there is clear mutual respect between them. That is a huge achievement.

However, the problem as I said in my column, is waste. And also the use of statistics that are blatantly wrong. Malaysia also has a big problem with transparency. Too little account is made of how other people's money is spent.The police too are way too corrupt for a country as developed as Malaysia. The rote learning that is practiced in the
schools also needs to be done away with. Generations of Malaysian children are missing out on an education thatshould teach them how to be creative and critical - this is what a truly modern, boleh country needs. Again, my comments are meant to be constructive. And I make them as a non-Malaysian largely because many Malaysians feel rightly or wrongly that they cannot say these things themselves in their own country.

Since my column was published, plans for a new RM400 million Istana have been announced and the Agriculture Ministry parliamentary secretary has told Parliament that Malaysia's first astronaut will be playing batu seremban and spinning tops and making teh tarik while in space. There are countless scientists around the world who would give anything for the opportunity to go to space and do real experiments. For the Malaysian government to send anastronaut into space to play Malay children's games serves only to re-emphasise my point about waste. Not only that, it makes Malaysia look infantile in the eyes of the rest of the world, which is a great pity when Malaysia hasmade so many real
achievements. The world is getting more clever, more competitive and
more dynamic every day. There are too many in Malaysia who don't seem to understand this.

Of course my views are just that: my views. But I have spent most of my
adult life analysing and writing about Asia. I am direct and critical; I do not veil my criticisms because I don't want to waste my time or yours with readers trying to guess what I really mean. Open debate is absolutely critical for all modern, dynamic countries. The free flow ofideas and information helps to make countries rich. Political leaders cannot do everything on their own be they in the UK, Australia or Malaysia.
They need help. Otherwise they make mistakes. And when they do, whose fault is that? Those who prefer to stay quiet? And should I
as a non-Malaysian be commenting on Malaysia? Of course. Malaysian political leaders and commentators routinely comment about other countries. That's how the world is now,an inter-dependent, global world. And the world is much better for it.I will write another column about Malaysia soon.

Michael Backman
November 17, 2006

Malaysia Bodoh! Part 1

2007-05-08T18:16:00.000+08:00

Now here is an article I really like... it says what has been on
so many Malaysian's minds for a very long time... Reviving the archives...
enjoy... will save my views

Michael Backman
November 15, 2006

While Malaysia fiddles, its opportunities are running dry

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).

Tragic Misfortunes - What is being done??

2007-05-08T15:53:00.000+08:00

..Again and Again, Rapes, Murders, Molestation & Sodomy

These words are so commonly used in our daily news reports that they are becoming synonymous with Malaysia. And what is the government or the police doing about it? "Our Best", they will say.

Follow the link and look at the statistics, and tell me, do you think anything is being done? The numbers are increasing exponentially. The same site also contains statistics on Sodomy and Incest... horrendous figures.
http://www.wccpenang.org/wcc/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=142&Itemid=151

This sort of thing troubles me very deeply. I am concerned for the safety of my loved ones as anybody would be. But it angers me that it seems like little is being done to curb this. The authorities can say that they are doing all they can, but instead, is it the Malaysian "tidak apa attitude".

Very simply, last year the government declared that they will spend a few billion Ringgit on a new feet of police cars as this will help increase police patrols. Instead, there are no more patrols than there were before as I hardly see any patrol cars going round my neighborhood, whilst nearby, there is a massive police station in Taman AU that was recently built to serve the public. There are a lot of patrol cars there, but they are parked and not patrolling.

The government even trained a few thousand new police officers, where are they? Sitting in the comfort of an air conditioned police station - chatting - as many would have observed.

And how many police stations or pondoks that I have passed by, such as the one in Bangsar, where you always see at least 3 officers sitting and chatting all afternoon? Meanwhile some poor sod is being robbed on the other side of the road.

So what are all these expenses for? For show? This is what my taxes go towards, the comfort of some lowly paid police officer (who will eventually extort money from people by way of bribes) who will patrol at his own convenience? Perhaps if there were more police patrols on the roads, what happened to the poor pregnant lady could have been avoided - provided that the patrolling officers are not chatting and/or "makan angin" when they should be observing their surroundings.

What about paying our ministers more to match the private sector so that we will get some competent leaders rather than people who are fiddling with crap like our Minister of Information - Zam (who seems rather mis-informed about how blogs work). Singapore was having a big debate about a similar issue and I see the merits.

This is how people get robbed, raped and abducted in Malaysia. And the criminals know it and they go on a spree. They are violent and most times, robbing you isn't enough and they will harm you without reason. Worst of all, violating your loved ones.

So, the question is, what is your government doing about this? Aren't the statistics published by the Police sufficient evidence that there is an increasing trend? They haven't communicated any plan to the public on how they are going to amend laws and make them stricter. People have gotten away with less than 10 years for rape. I think following most countries, it should be no less than 20 years or even life. They have said that they are increasing patrols, but I don't see them, again, it's lip service.

Either way, the KPI will be a reduction in crime statistics, which I think should be something that should be published monthly for public consumption. But I am certain because the results are so bleak, they try not to show it unless absolutely necessary.

Again, this is something that I will take to the ballot box. You should too. Our votes should be based on the issues that have an impact on our lives, not just because we are afraid of the uncertainty of a new government. We need to vote on the issues. Because what we are doing now, just tells Barisan Nasional that they will win either way, no matter what they do or don't do. In the end, we will be the ones who will suffer. We have a choice, it's time to be more intelligent about the choices we make.

Some people in Barisan really need a kick in the ass and to understand that just because they are connected or related to the PM or some other government official that they can do and say as they please. If you, as a layperson, are afraid to speak out and against the "Gods" or eveb start your own blog, then ensure that you cast your vote the other way. The scale has been tipped to one side for too long, it's time to make that correction

See the article as attached from The Star (www.thestar.com.my)

Friday May 4, 2007
Gang-raped in terror carjack

JOHOR BARU: A woman who was waiting in the car while her husband went to a toilet was held up at knife-point and taken on a terror ride, gang-raped and robbed.

The 28-year-old woman who works in Singapore, was driven around Plentong for three hours after being abducted from the petrol station in Tampoi. Her three-year-old son was in the car with her.

The drama unfolded when the victim and her son had accompanied her husband to town on his way to work in Singapore at 4am several days ago.
The husband stopped the car, with his wife and son inside, at the petrol station and kept the engine running. Soon after, the woman was shocked to see a man armed with a knife, knocking at her window demanding that she open the door.

The woman, fearing for her son's safety, complied and the suspect then drove the car to pick up his friend from a nearby area.

They blindfolded the woman and threatened to harm her son if she struggled. The woman begged the men to let them go as she was pregnant but they instead took her to a secluded area and took turns to rape her.

They then picked up another man before dropping both mother and son in Permas Jaya and driving off with the car and her belongings.

Johor Baru (South) OCPD Asst Comm Shafie Ismail said that the car had been recovered two days after the incident in Majidee. He appealed to those with information to contact the police hotline at 07-221 2999 or the nearest police station.

2007-05-08T00:33:00.000+08:00

Here's an article that addresses what the minority communities have been dying to say. Finally, people are taking their dissatisfaction with Barisan to the Ballot Box... it's about time!

Fellow citizens, in the last general election, we gave the Barisan Nasional a landslide victory. As I recall, the nation was overjoyed that Badawi had such great support from the people, a fresh Prime Minister and a new era for Malaysian politics.

Sadly, and over time, we were all greatly disappointed. For starters, it seemed that the level of confidence we had given the government, worked to our disadvantage. In the past couple of years, we have seen Hishamuddin, draw his Kris and waving it around in the name of Malay pride and power. We have also seen Badawi's son in law Khairi Jamaluddin, protesting in front of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, directing the anger of a mob of youngsters at the US Secretary of State Rice. Khairi, also has threatened the Chinese community on numerous occassions. And now, we have an Information Minister, Zainuddin Maidin who seeing the increasing trend of political bloggers such as myself, deems it to be a threat to the nation and hence wants to "curb" "the phenomenon".

So what does all this spell for us? The very people who gave Barisan the make or break vote. Nothing but absolute disappointment. We now have people in power who think they are invincible and they can go about saying whatever it is that they like, be it seditious or anything that rouses the emotions of the other races. Strangely, I believe that if it were a chinese or indian person who said the same things Khairi said or even did what Hishamuddin did, they would definately be behind bars, and I am quite certain that the Malay response would have been a lot harsher - which would have likely been tolerated by the government. Yet, these people still roam free and say and do as they please, enjoying the power and priviledge that we provide them.

They are quite happy continuing as they are, just as Najib has responded to the slide in Chinese votes in Ijok... "Najib said it was usual for support from this group to slightly increase or decline during by-elections and that this could have been related to local issues, adding that young voters there had been more critical than usual"... really? is it as simple as that? This is how you respond to Ong Ka Ting's valuable fact?

I think its time this is brought to a stop, and if you agree, perhaps we should take it to the ballot box in the coming election. Vote for the opposition. There will be enough votes to bring Barisan back, but we shouldn't give them a full mandate to run the country. By lending votes to the opposition, perhaps parties like Keadilan will gain some credibility and build a stronger party, hopefully one day there will be enough strength within that party making it really worthwhile voting for.

What our country is missing is a decent opposition party. It's time we learn to give ourself a choice for the benefit of the future generations. We cannot rely on Barisan anymore. It's obvious which party dominates the coalition, and now, some of them are becoming as extreme as their counterparts in PAS. Examples are clear as day, with regards to the religious department and the mockery they are making of our country and people, and our "moderate government" tolerates this?

Have a read of this article extracted from The Star (http://www.thestar.com.my/). It's a clarion call, hear it and hear it well fellow Supreme Council and Leadership of UMNO, because many of us will vote for the opposition just to put you where you belong. Change your methods and your attitude and perhaps you will regain our confidence.

Factors that swayed Chinese vote
PETALING JAYA: The swing of some Chinese votes to the opposition in the recent Ijok by-election was due to unhappiness with the service of the previous assemblyman as well as several sensitive national issues, MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said.

He said the Chinese voters in the constituency had complained that they were unhappy with the service rendered by the Barisan Nasional."During campaigning, they (Chinese voters in Ijok) asked us why we were doing this and that now (during the election) and not earlier. There were also some rumblings on national issues," he said after attending a Wesak Day celebration at the Kwan Inn Teng Temple here.Elaborating on what he meant by "rumblings on national issues", Ong said some voters had expressed unhappiness over statements made by "some leaders" which they considered hurtful."We got this feedback although we had explained that the implementation of policies is based on collective decision-making with a multiracial perspective and not on certain statements by individuals."However, they did not accept our explanation," he said without elaborating on the statements.

Giving the party analysis on the Chinese voting pattern in the Ijok by-election for the first time, Ong said there was no doubt that "to a certain extent the Chinese votes in the area had swung to the opposition".He said that in Ijok town, for example, the BN won by a majority of only 21 votes."In Kampung Ijok, next to Ijok town, we lost 116 votes. I think that in certain areas, the swing was not big. Overall, the BN still obtained the Chinese vote, particularly in the new villages but the question now is by how many per cent because some of the ballot boxes had votes from mixed areas."In southern and northern Batang Berjuntai — two predominantly Chinese areas — the BN managed to secure about 500 Chinese votes.Ong said that the MCA, being a party that represents the Chinese community and the second largest BN component, did not deny that there was increased Chinese support for the opposition compared with the previous election."We will work hard and go down to the ground to get their feedback.

"There is a sign of some swing in Chinese votes from the BN to the opposition. This is something we cannot deny."Compared with the 2004 general election, there is some change of mood. To what extent, we can’t draw the percentage yet." Asked whether the party’s internal problems had played a role in the reduced Chinese support for the BN, Ong said: "I don’t think that was a big factor."In the by-election, K. Parthiban of the BN beat Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim of Parti Keadilan Rakyat by a majority of 1,850 votes.However, despite the better performance by the BN compared with the 2004 general election (when BN received a 1,649-vote majority), Chinese support for BN had reportedly dropped by about 10 per cent. — Bernama