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.
Showing posts with label Visit Malaysia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Visit Malaysia. Show all posts
Friday, April 4, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Policemen Rape Chinese National in a Patrol Car
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Nagarakuku... the Good and the Bad
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
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
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Freedom of Religion in Malaysia a Fallacy Part 2
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 -
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.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Police was INDIFFERENT, no ACTION WAS TAKEN
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.
...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.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Malaysia Bodoh! Part 1
Michael BackmanNow 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
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??
..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.
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.
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