The Watchman

Sexy School Uniform? Pordah!

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Fri, 23 May 2008 01:05:00 +0000

When I read the piece "Islamic group condemns 'sexy' school uniforms" in Malaysiakini on May 21, 2008, I was speechless, yeah ... literally speechless that in this day and age, there are still people like Munirah Bahari who continue to say stupid things. Who needs fools when we have pea-brained people like Munirah! What is this woman talking about?

Following Munirah's totally warped logic, it goes to reason that all Malaysian school girls wearing standard white blouses are betul-betul "asking for it" and the men, although no longer living in caves, will all succumb to their primordial instincts and "go for it!" A simple enough correlation study between white blouses and sexual misdemeanor, no?

And if what Munirah said is true, the geographic "hot spots" that should have the highest incidence of rapes will be within a 30km radius of any girl schools, and the best tangkal to abate sexual assaults will be the tudung and the baju kurung ... that there are zero rape cases and incests in the "cover all" countries the likes of those in the Middle East and Pakistan, and at beach resorts like Brazil's Ipanema, Hawaii's Waikiki and our very own Pantai Cinta Berahi, they will all be at it like rabbits. Sex-crazed males with dilated pupils, chasing white blouses with their "clubs" and walking "sticks" ... would be quite a sight, wouldn't it? Hmmm.

There is, however, one "sure thing" solution though - render all the erection-bearing population as well as the potential erection-bearing population blind. They will then see no white blouses, never mind anything else, and will not be aroused as well or simply render them all "dickless." Yeah, why not? Take your pick!

However, one conclusion I dare surmise is, there's definitely a direct correlation between covered heads and extremely low IQs!
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May 22, 2008 The Star

School Uniforms Sexy, Says Group

Kuala Lumpur: A Malaysian group condemned the uniform worn by girls at government schools, saying it encouraged rape and pre-marital sex.

"The white blouse is too transparent for girls and it becomes a source of attraction," National Islamic Students Association of Malaysia vice-president Munirah Bahari said in a statement.

"It becomes a distraction to men, who are drawn to it, whether or not they like looking at it," she said, calling for a review of uniform policy so that it did not violate Islamic ideals.

In multicultural Malaysia, home to majority-Muslim Malays as well as ethnic Chinese and Indians, female students at government schools have a choice of wearing a white blouse with a knee-length skirt or pinafore.

They may also wear a baju kurung and a headscarf is optional for Malay students.

Munirah said that "covering up" according to Islamic precepts was important to fend off social ills, including "rape, sexual harassment and even pre-marital sex." (Ouch! I am getting a hard on reading this.)

"This leads to babies born out of wedlock and, to an extent, even prostitution," she said.

"Decent clothes which are not revealing can prevent and protect women from any untoward situations," she said, suggesting that girls wear a blouse of a different colour or with an undergarment. (Wow, I didn't know that our school girls never wear undergarments. This really turns me VERY ON - who needs Viagra now.)

However, the girls themselves also came in for criticism, with the association saying that some used the white blouse to lure men. (I cannot find any relevance for this. Maybe Munirah Bahari is gay. For me any colour will do.)

"This is the source of the problem, where we can see that schoolgirls themselves are capable of using this to attract men to them," Munirah said. [If this is the case, brothels will be out of business soon. So guys let's hang around girl schools. Better still asrama(s) where they will come with white blouses and tudung(ed).] See what the tudung can do to your brain!

"This could see them getting molested, having pre-marital sex and all sorts of things." �?? AFP

The Dawning of the New Economic Agenda?

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Wed, 21 May 2008 08:39:00 +0000

Keynote address by Anwar Ibrahim on May 20, 2008 at the CLSA Corporate Access Forum in Singapore, a high-profile gathering of corporate decision makers of the region's most interesting companies and investment bodies.
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Ladies and Gentleman.

On March 8, with fortitude and conviction the people of Malaysia sent a clear message to the powers that be they would not continue to tolerate a corrupt and incompetent government. With resoluteness hitherto unseen they voted the Barisan Nasional out of office in four states and terminated their stranglehold two-third majority in Parliament. In the final toll, the Pakatan Rakyat, that is, the People's Alliance, now controls five states accounting for about 60 percent of the nation's GDP. Additionally, the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur is almost entirely represented by Pakatan representatives in Parliament. After being in power for five decades, the Barisan Nasional meanwhile is still in comatose under this knockout defeat while its dominant and dominating anchor party Umno is in utter turmoil.

In this defining moment of Malaysia's history, the courage and singularity of purpose of the people has been extraordinary. Having suffered the slings and arrows of an outrageous regime that had become very cozy with the culture of corruption, wastage and misuse of power, the people marched headlong into the battlefield and took the bull by the horns.
To my mind, the eighth of March, 2008 is the metaphor for the birth of a new era where the mill stone of race and religion which had been our burden to bear for the last fifty years has finally been shattered. With one stroke of the mighty pen, notwithstanding the overwhelming forces of electoral fraud and collusion of the organs of state, the people transformed the political landscape of the nation.

This will be a new chapter indeed for Malaysia indeed as it was for Indonesia not too long ago when the waves of reformasi swept the country taking it out of dictatorship to democracy. In a way, it was also for Myanmar though tragically the iron hand of military oppression proved far stronger than the earnest cries for justice and liberty.

A New Economic Agenda has been crafted borne of a long-term strategic vision to develop Malaysia into a prosperous and dynamic society competitive not just in the region, but in the world. We are not talking about knee-jerk reactions or strategies calculated to gain political mileage. This Agenda is a comprehensive programme that we earnestly believe is sustainable in the long run.

According to a recent survey, young Malaysians are now open to more multi-racial socio-economic policies as opposed to race-based ones. The general consensus is that affirmative action should be given to the poor and the marginalised regardless of race or religion. Notions of social dominance and racial superiority find no resonance among the people except for those diehards still bigoted over ancient and archaic forms of political ideology.

That is why our New Agenda is not purely economic. Its viability depends very much on observing the principles of democracy, socio-economic justice, equal economic opportunities and religious freedom. There is no contradiction in talking about affirmative action while waving the banner of equal opportunity because a level playing field can never be level unless and until the poor and the marginalised are taken out of the vicious cycle.

The broadest platform that forms the bedrock of this New Malaysian Agenda rests on policies formulated to bring maximum benefit to the people across as broad a spectrum as possible in order to uplift the living standards of the ordinary Malaysian. Ostentatious projects will be shelved. Public expenditure will be focused on infrastructure such as transportation, health and education. There is no doubt that we will be pro-business but the New Agenda will redress the social inequities unleashed by the forces of the free market. Rent-seeking activities, for example, must be kept at bay. Predatory marketing will be outlawed. A more comprehensive regulatory structure will be crafted with the bulk of the input from people actually in the business. All this may raise the alarm that this is populist agenda which encroaches upon free market principles. On the contrary, the New Agenda aims at taking Malaysia to the status of a developed nation that is built on the people's trust with accountability, transparency and good governance.

Let us first of all answer the question: What is Malaysia's status today? We hear for example politicians talking about how rich Malaysia is compared to some of her neighbours and how we have recovered so well since the Asian financial crisis of 1997. The truth, however, says otherwise: South Korea and Taiwan were much poorer than us in the 1970s but today their per capita income is US$19,200 and US$15,270 respectively Our per capita income is only US$6,240. And we haven't begun to talk about Singapore, a city-state of four million inhabitants. At US$30,810, it is five times that of Malaysia's. The enormous difference becomes all the more glaring if we consider that just 30 years ago, Malaysia was neck-and-neck with Singapore.

If we analyse deeper we will realise how even more troubling the numbers are. The per capita income scenario paints only a partial picture. What we don't see is the gross inequality in income distribution. In 2005, Malaysia registered the most glaring GINI coefficient in Southeast Asia, worse than Indonesia and Thailand. As you know, being the most effective measure of income disparity, at 0.47, Malaysia was number two in Asia losing only to Papua New Guinea.

This is a devastating indictment of the failure of the New Economic Policy, crafted almost four decades ago. In the area of the urban-rural gap, this policy has also been a complete fiasco. In 1999, income in rural homes was 55 percent that of urban homes with the highest poverty in mostly Bumiputera majority states such as Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah, Perlis, Sabah and Sarawak. Of course there has been some development in the country but we do not see anything impressive in the numbers unless we still want to compare ourselves with African countries. Incidentally, Malaysia's poverty reduction statistics are unreliable because our base rate is unrealistic.

By far the most damning case against the NEP is that it has been hijacked by the ruling elite to satisfy their lust for wealth and power. No doubt this was a multi-racial rip-off of the most systematic kind: the leaders of the component parties of the ruling coalition working hand in glove with Umno to deprive the deserving Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans and Kadazans of the benefits that were to be derived from the NEP.

Tender procedures, transparency and independent evaluation in privatisation issues, equity distribution, all these were swept aside in the name of the NEP on the sacred ground that this was all for the benefit of the Bumiputeras. But the numbers stack hard against the hype. Just compare the money spent on scholarships with say the tens of billions expropriated by the select few in equity awards, Approved Permits, contracts to companies controlled by families and cronies, and the billions in profit reaped on account of privatisation projects and schemes. There is also a high economic cost to this gross abuse of the policy. The people have to pay higher costs for energy, water, highway tolls. The people's protest falls on deaf ears.

The decline in FDI as well as private domestic investment is serious. This collapse has led to serious underperforming by Malaysia in the region. India in the last five years saw its investment/GDP ratio rise from 22 percent to 34 percent and Brazil's ratio shot up from 15 percent to 27 percent Malaysia's ratio, on the other hand, plunged to 9 percent last year from 30 percent in 1996. In terms of FDI over GDP, Malaysia plummeted from 8 percent to 4 percent for the same period. This is one of the steepest declines anywhere in the world. What these numbers signify is the plunge in the level of competitiveness and the degree of profitability of companies and there is no reason to imagine things will improve for the better barring a drastic change in circumstances. As a matter of fact, for the World Competitiveness Index for 2007/08, Malaysia dropped two notches from last year's standing.

Yet the authorities are touting Malaysia's so-called impressive current account surplus which increased from 8 percent in 2002 to 14 percent in 2007. But what it means really is that investments have fallen and hence a decline in the import of capital goods. Even Malaysia's growth rates for the last five years will show that private consumption is the main driver for the increase. What has not been highlighted, however, is the fact that our economic growth is essentially fuelled by borrowings to such an extent that individual indebtedness is now the highest in the region. Just last year, I spoke about the lessons of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Once again, the question is: have the Malaysian authorities learned anything?

Malaysia lags behind other emerging economies in spite of a diversified economy with commodities and manufacturing and a relatively good physical infrastructure. Our competitiveness suffers because of the failure to develop and keep innovative human capital. Our brain drain problem is legendary. This reflects foundational weaknesses in our educational infrastructure as well as a policy of mismanaging the vast human resources. The traditional mindset of bolstering the manufacturing sector as a key driver for economic growth must also be changed in an age where information and knowledge provide the bedrock for growth and competitiveness. We suffer also because of the high cost of doing business, a cost which is reflective of the failure to observe the basic standards of good governance and to fulfill the demands of accountability. At the end of the day, these principles will continue to be compromised when those who hold the trust of the people succumb to the temptations of power and fall victim to the cancer of corruption.

The report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the V.K. Lingam scandal has fully vindicated our earnest efforts to expose the corruption that has beset the highest institutions of power. The Malaysian judiciary once touted as one of the best in the world has been severely compromised. Judge fixing, ghost written judgments, horse trading in judicial appointments, these are the symptoms of a judiciary ravaged by executive influence and interference and corruption by the rich and the powerful. We cannot overemphasise the importance of an independent and competent judiciary to realise the objectives of the New Agenda because bereft of such an institution, the rule of law itself hangs in the balance. When justice can be bought and sold, the economic implications are extremely far reaching Foreign investors want impartial and fair hearings in trade and commercial disputes. The fact that most international contracts executed in the region choose Hong Kong or Singapore rather than Kuala Lumpur as the forum for arbitration speaks volumes about the level of confidence of the international business community in Malaysia's judiciary.

From one corridor to another, with pledges of billions of ringgit to be poured into infrastructure and other projects, the Federal government is still trying to foist on the people undertakings of such a gargantuan scale that make the mega projects of the previous administration look rather tame. This lavishness in spending is symptomatic of the Barisan's conventional responses to the economic woes of the nation. They have given supply-side economics a new meaning, predicated on the assumption that the supply of money has no limits.

History has already shown what dire consequences such a philosophy can bring. Forged on the anvil of greed and self-interest, these projects can only see the light of day if and only if the main beneficiaries are cronies, family members and conglomerates connected with the ruling elite. Hence, projects which were in the pipeline before the elections suddenly become unviable now that they would be in the States governed by the Pakatan. Perhaps this is the silver lining to the clouds that hang over the Pakatan-controlled states because we want no part in the plundering of the people's wealth by the Umno-controlled Federal government. They must be held accountable.

In spite of these concerns we will honour commitments already made, excepting for gross abuse and corruption, and will seek new ways of engaging with the international investor community under the principle of responsible competitiveness that would encompass conservation, sustainability and fair labour practices.

The New Economic Agenda recognises the multi-ethnic composition of Malaysia and therefore is fortified with a policy to foster and nurture a plural and tolerant society. After all, that was the catalyst for the formation of our nation pursuant to a social contract to build a nation that is harmonious, just and fair. That cannot be realised without a New Agenda relevant and just to all. The Bumiputera community is ready for this change because it will continue to be firmly grounded on affirmative action to help the poor and the marginalised.

The fear that such an agenda will erode the rights of the Bumiputera is but the consequence of the racist chanting of some Umno leaders who will stand to be the biggest losers in the new agenda. So, fearing the prospect of their corrupt sources of income being reduced if not altogether eliminated they resort to stoking the fires of racist sentiments through the mainstream media controlled by them.

Our policy is simple and straightforward enough. We do not intend to do away with the affirmative action principles outlined in the NEP, but we will apply them across the board making them available for all races on a needs basis. The question is: Should we condone the abuses of a policy which make the rich richer and the poor poorer or should we not support a policy that provides equitable assistance to all needy Malaysians?

Again, to the detractors who will continue to distort the new agenda as an anti-Bumiputera policy, let me reiterate that the interests of the Bumiputeras will never be compromised because we are committed to building a new system that is just and fair. In this new order, no one will be left behind on account of race or religion. Unlike the current scheme of things, the New Agenda will put in place mechanisms to ensure that economic aid goes to those who most need it. For example, small traders who form the bulk of the Bumiputera community in business enterprises will therefore be better off than they ever were under the NEP.

Certain detractors have pointed out the road to a more deregulated free market economy will lead to the abandonment of social instruments. We would answer this by saying that we have no intention of abandoning of our electoral promises among which is the promotion of social justice. We advocate no doubt Hayekian free enterprise but we don't think Adam Smith's invisible hand will be that responsive to the changing times. Hence, whenever necessary, to paraphrase John Kenneth Galbraith, we temper free market with an appropriate dose of state intervention to rectify the social inequities attendant on the interplay of pure market forces. We don't think that we need to apologise for advocating a policy on fuel, health care and education which is calculated to ease the burden of the rising cost of living. We call this humane economics.
Bearing in mind our diagnosis of the Malaysian economy and the state of our nation, the New Agenda will set in place the drivers that will take the country out of the doldrums to greater heights.

In other words, measures will be in place to ensure that private investment as well as FDI will return with a vengeance. The conditions precedent for Malaysia to regain its status as an attractive destination for investors must include the rule of law, a regulatory framework, and incentives to develop our human capital. At the same time, with the implementation of more prudent macroeconomic management, growth will be stimulated without getting out of hand. The State economies under the control of Pakatan Rakyat will become more robust and vibrant. In spite of the efforts of the Federal government to derail development projects, we are confident that these state economies will be able to forge ahead. The SMEs too will benefit from a policy that recognises the role that they play in an economy that will be increasingly more globalised. Take care of the head and the tail will take care of itself. With transparency and accountability in place, cronyism and corruption will die a natural death thus immediately lowering transaction costs while enhancing improvements in service delivery.

If I may conclude with an apology to Shakespeare: Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by the sun of Pakatan's New Economic Agenda. Victory lies in courage and conviction to replace the old with the new, the obsolete with the functional. Without this paradigm change, Malaysia will be adrift in an ocean of uncertainty at the risk of being marooned on the island of oblivion. We must take the current when it serves or forever lose our venture.

Thank you.

Convincing the Court of Public Opinion

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Thu, 15 May 2008 06:27:00 +0000

I refer to the Malaysiakini article entitled: "Najib lashes out at accusations of 'the Mongolian woman'"

The Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister can deny all he wants about personally not knowing the 'Mongolian woman.' He can also say the stories were concocted by the Opposition to implicate him. As for the issue of commissions, the DPM said it was clearly "created, manipulated and purposefully misrepresented by the Opposition to the point they do not care of the negative effects on the image of the Malaysian armed forces and national security." Strong words indeed.

He also said the stories were a "concerted and continuous effort to confuse the public."

Oh my goodness ... Mr DPM, this is the 21st Century. This is the Age of the Internet. Where have you been? The rakyat is no longer stupid. Perhaps one good thing that the Barisan Nasional (read UMNO) government has done is use billions of taxpayers' money to send thousands of Malaysian students (of one particular race) abroad to study. So now ... it's payback time! Their minds are more open; they have seen the world; soaked in new ideas, experienced freedom and have analytical minds.

The public is not confused. Not at all. The public is very clear about the issues. And the public wants justice, accountability, honesty, compassion, and integrity. Can the Barisan Nasional government give us these things? Oh ... the silence is deafening. I thought so.

Corruption, crime, injustice, arrogance, and lies are running rampant in Bolehland. What have you done, as the people's elected representative, to combat these ills of society? You have party colleagues who are sexists and racists, and colleagues in Parliament who advocate closing one eye to corrupt practices, and you do nothing about them. Now you want the public to sympathise with you?

The Court of Public Opinion is running on overtime. Mr DPM, if you care ... just pop by any coffee shop or warung in the morning before you go to work, have a cuppa there and listen to what Malaysians from all walks of life have to say about you. Listen to the questions they ask about the Mongolian woman's murder trial, and the so-called 'commissions' paid out to crony companies in the fighter jets and submarine deals. Listen to what they have to say about the stupid National Service programme. It's enlightening. You must try it. But you are perhaps too far detached to even bother isn't it? And you claim to have the people's interest at heart?

There is absolutely no need for you to point the finger at the Opposition. You only need to listen to the rakyat. And the rakyat is smart enough to know what's going on. They don't need the Opposition to be the penghasut. Your job is not to point fingers. Your job is to answer to the people, the rakyat, and do the right thing. You need to convince the Court of Public Opinion that what you have said to date is indeed the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Otherwise, what you have said in the august House will have absolutely no meaning whatsoever.

There is definitely a need for a commission of inquiry into the government's 2002-2003 purchase of the two French-made Scorpene submarines, and the 18 Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets. The rakyat can no longer take your word for it. And if the rakyat wants an investigation into these deals, proceed with the investigations. It is the rakyat paying for it anyway. So who are you to say it is not necessary? Perhaps, it is timely to remind you that in a democracy, the people is the boss. Not the government. The government is the servant of the people. We seem to have this notion screwed up for a long, long time. No more!

The rakyat also demands the deals be scrutinised by the government opening its books to be examined. Perhaps then, the people will believe what you say. On the PSC-Naval Dockyard patrol boats project for the Navy, where is the great Amin Shah, the towering Malay? Is he not liable to answer for this botched project that has cost the taxpayers billions of ringgit?

And you actually reckon the stupid National Service programme is well-received by the rakyat eh? In that case, it would be proper to NOT force parents to send their children to these camps. Allow them the choice to decide if they want their children to participate. Can the government do that in the event that you still insist for the programme to continue? Or would that hurt the bank accounts of the organisers too much? You had earlier said the National Service programme cannot be terminated because "too many parties were involved." So ... it's not about fostering national unity or promote racial integration. It's about profit, isn't it?

Mr DPM ... you are a seasoned politician. You are also the people's elected representative. But strangely, you don't sound too concerned about the deaths of these innocent kids in the NS camps. You don't seem too concerned about what affected parents are going through. You are indifferent, as many of your party colleagues in Parliament are. You are indifferent because these kids are not your own flesh and blood. They don't count. You really can't be bothered. Now that's extremely telling about the kind of leader you are.

As a taxpayer and a member of the electorate, I demand that you prepare a list showing which member of the Cabinet has children participating in the NS camps, or is it true that children of ministers and UMNO cronies do not have to attend these camps?

NS Camps or Death Camps?

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Tue, 13 May 2008 01:17:00 +0000

The following piece was originally published as a Letter to the Editor in Malaysiakini on May 13, 2008.

How many lives will have to be sacrificed before Malaysian parents will finally wake up and tell the government they elected to stop this mind-boggling stupid National Service programme that benefit only the organisers? Do right-thinking parents still want to continue lining the bank accounts of these organisers (cronies of the powers that be) with hard-earned taxpayers money and worry whether their children will survive the camp or 'return home' in a body bag?

At the time of writing, I am grieving -- grieving with parents who have lost their children in our so-called National Service "death camps."

And for crying out loud, these kids didn't go to war. They were not expected to sacrifice their lives for their country. They were not in the armed forces either. They were attending National Service camps that were not even military in nature. So how did they die? And why wasn't anything done to ensure that these deaths do not occur again? Who is responsible for this? Who in the government we elect has the right to determine whose child live or die in these camps? Why hasn't anyone been prosecuted yet for this?

The Malaysian National Service programme has been in operations for quite a few years now, but I, for one, has absolutely no clue whatsoever, what it is designed for and how attendees of these camps are measured after their participation? On the onset, the National Service looks like a big scam benefitting the organisers with absolutely no intrinsic value attached to its programmes. Of course, the wonderful UMNO-led government would make us to believe that it has its values, and we should keep sending our children to these camps. I say not.

No more. Again, enough is enough. The 20 unfortunate kids would have been alive today if they did not attend National Service. This absolutely worthless programme took their young lives. They died for nothing. Their parents could not even be proud of the fact that they gave their lives for their country. Many of their parents, I believe, are still grappling with their loss ... a needless loss they will not be able to comprehend in their lifetime. And for what? After a lifetime of working hard to support their families and paying taxes to support a government that would, in turn, take the lives of their children?

Malaysians are no longer going to take this kind of atrocity lying down. Heads have to roll. The people responsible for this fracas must be arrested, prosecuted and incarcerated. There are no two ways about this. Malaysians have taken too much nonsense for far too long. And where lives are involved, there should be no compromise. The government should not be good only at hauling innocent citizens to jail on the pretext of sedition and national security. The deaths at these National Service camps are a far bigger and more pressing issue to look into.

The deputy prime minister, supposedly the creator of this utterly meaningless programme must take full responsibility for this. The honourable thing for him to do is resign from all his positions in the government for this shameful, deplorable and unforgivable act of gross negligence. And the National Service programme must be scrapped with immediate effect!

That's not all. I would also like to know how many of our ministers' children have participated in this National Service camps, and what they would have done if their children are the ones that perish in these camps. They won't feel the pain if their own flesh and blood are not the sacrificial lambs, would they?

Boot Out Those National Service Boot Camps

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Mon, 12 May 2008 07:54:00 +0000

Our youth are born gifted and talented. They should be turned into 'radical multi-culturalists' or 'Malaysian transcultural citizens' that will be "walking democracies in themselves". This should be the vision of our nation.

By Dr Azly Rahman (dr.azly.rahman@gmail.com)
http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/

"We don't need no education....
We don't need no thought control"
-- from Pink Floyd, The Wall

"NS Training Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil said Hui Min died on Wednesday at 10.45pm at the Slim River Hospital in Perak....The teenager and 177 other trainees had chicken rice for lunch while training at the shooting range in Jugra Banting, Selangor. They arrived at the range at 1.45pm.

...We are in a state of disbelief because she was an active and healthy 18-year-old," the distraught mother said. She has two other children....Chin said Hui Min, who scored 7As in her SPM examination last year, was to enter Form Six at SMK Bukit Kuda in Klang on Monday.
--- The Star, May 9, 2008.

My deepest condolences goes to the family of Hui Min. I feel for her loss and the lost of twenty other children in this camp called National Service. We need answers for this.

Previously I argued that the Biro Tata Negara training programs are working against national unity and breeding a dangerous form of ethnocentrism. Both, this program and the ill-conceived National Service camps are based on the philosophy of anti-humanism and one that does not value the multiculturalism of this country. They may not be teaching Malaysians to live as good citizens in a Malaysian Malaysia.

As in the case of the National Service, the public has not heard of an evaluation report on the effectiveness of the first session. We need a national report such as one produced in a developed nation. With the many deaths that has been reported, we need to stop the program immediately.
We are infusing militarism in education. Our youth wants to know what will become of them in a society governed by those who think that education is the process of shoving into their minds a certain form of nationalism. Our youth wants explanations why military leaders are running their lives in those camps of indoctrination. The parents of these children need to know that what the government is doing is actually wrong - anathema to the meaning of education. Most of all they want to also know why there are so many deaths in those camps.

What might our exit plan for the national service be if we educators conclude that it is creating more damage to the creative and critical minds? What might it be if it is based on a paradigm conceived by those who are not knowledgeable of or have been out of touch with cutting edge research in the art and science of human cognitive development, such as that explored in the Theory of Multiple Intelligences?

I propose that the national service be stopped immediately and the project be given to the universities specifically, schools of education and/or schools which deal with the development of youth cultures. I propose that the government's role should be to provide national standards for developing the Malaysian mind that would suggest the objectives of teaching thinking based on what has been established by the education ministry in courses such as Kursus Kemahiran Berfikir Secara Kritis dan Kreatif and Ilmu Futuristik.

I see great potential for expanding the minds of our future generation if we put a halt to the current programme of militarising our children and instead provide grant-based mind development programmes to develop them as transcultural thinkers. Malaysian professors of education and cultural change are the ones who know the Malaysian mind best. Let them do the job of educating our youth.

Let them spend the remaining millions of Ringgit of allocated funds to work in collaboration with youths, multi-cultural community leaders, parents, and progressive government leaders to craft a non-boot camp based mind expansion and cognitive development program.

Let them show their skills in grooming our youth into Rousseau's Emiles and liberated Sophies. In these ideals we train children to understand their natural rights and we look at human beings as subjects and active agents of history.

Mind development project

We need not create blind nationalists. We need to create transcultural citizens. We need not use indoctrination theories of the 1950s. We now have constructivist theories of the new millennium. Our aim for the Malaysian children of the future should be to help them create whatever ethical possibilities in their lifetime based on the ability to use the best of their critical, creative, ethical, and futuristic thinking skills.

Here are the objectives of the proposed program:

As cultural beings, they should learn how to create new artifacts to help humanity solve problems. They need to learn what it means to be self-sufficient and how to create 'cultural communities' that value the idea of 'self-help' as opposed to getting subsidies tied to patronage politics. They need to find alternative ways of living; to de-evolve from the hyper-ventilativity and complexity of a neo-colonised national economic system and to even perhaps 'de-urbanise' and 're-villagise'.

As economic beings, they should know the skills to create a society that value 'needs' more than 'wants' so that their generation will not have to be burdened with foreign debts passed down from their political leaders who designed economic conditions that create those debts.

As political beings, they should learn how not to be blind nationalists based on their strict interpretation of 'Malayness', 'Chinese-ness', 'Indian-ness', 'Iban-ness', 'Kadazan-ness', 'Murut-ness', or 'pan-Malaysian-ness', or 'pan Asian-ness'. They should learn how to create a new social order based on the re-envisioning and revising of the past as well as the restructuring of the confusing present.

They should be taught how to imagine what a new government might look like, instead of being made to anticipate which son, daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in law of past or current leaders will be installed as rulers. The children want to have 'ownership of democracy' not to be owned by political demagogues.

As philosophical beings, the children of a new Malaysia should learn from the varieties of religious and philosophical discourse that will incite and excite the brain cells into making the greatest number of connections that will turn them into intelligent multi-cultural beings able to come together in study circles that deconstruct any kind of 'arrogant' knowledge. They want to learn how to become 'radical multi-culturalists' who pay allegiance to philosophy and not to deformed politics.

As ethical beings, they should learn to be critical consumers of the 'mediated world' they live in. They should be taught to know why Malaysian television stations are producing mediated junk to capitalise on the libidinal and not the cerebral needs of the human self.

They should know what strategies these broadcast stations are using to invent and manipulate realities, to blow the minds of TV viewers, to mesmerise viewers into organised confusion, to glue them to the TV sets, and to sell dreams in order to gain as much profit as they can through the production of sophisticated junk. The youth of today should know how the government and private TV stations are contributing to making the few owners of satellites up in the sky rich, while the poor on the earth below are happy being poor as long as they have 100 channels as their intellectual diet. As the media critic Neil Postman once said, "Thanks to television, the children of tomorrow will have four eyes and no mouth."

As futuristic beings, they should know how to create a less and less corrupt world, by creating a government based on a good separation of powers, and based on the leaders' commitment to national projects that focus on national needs more than national greed. They should know if we actually need more national cars, if our privatised water system is robbing the basic needs of human beings, if university education will become freely accessible to all, if we are going to spend our leisure developing good reading habit than golfing in signature golf course that were once inhabited by the 'squatters' (popularly known among Johoreans as 'Sting Gardens a.k.a. Setinggan Gardens')

Our youth are born gifted and talented. They should be turned into 'radical multi-culturalists' or 'Malaysian transcultural citizens' that will be "walking democracies in themselves". This should be the vision of our nation.

We should create as much opportunities for them to work together regardless of any race they have been born into, They will learn a lot about each others' hopes and aspirations, fears and joys, and how to work out solutions to life's most complex problems. We will instill trust in them, dispel myths, and deconstruct ill-feelings and deep-rooted racism they learn from adults. This is no longer an age for them to continue the prejudices they have had to live with and suffer for --- for the last 50 years.

Youth empowerment

Once we have given the national service to the faculties such as the school of education in Malaysian public and private universities, we can design the programme based on the seven considerations below:

1. Involve representatives from youth themselves; those who can articulate what they need to know in order for them to create a society that is less corrupt and one that will be governed based on a strong sense of distributive and formative justice.

2. Involve representatives of the youth political parties in the redesigning of the national programme. We ought not to turn the project into a battleground for the hearts and minds of the youth but rather, in the tradition of conflict resolution and mediation, to give due respect to the youth to express their hope and wishes to be good Malaysian citizens that will chart their own political, intellectual and cultural destiny. We may discover that in the non-partisan dialogues a great deal can be achieved in the long run.

3. Involve educators from the different ethnic groups who understand the hopes and aspirations of our youth and who want to design a better future based on multi-cultural understanding in the most meaningful sense of the word. They are the best sources of cultural information and cultural leadership.

Invite educators who understand the best designs in curriculum and instruction to come up with engaging, student-centered, democratically-inspired, higher-order thinking skills-based daily lesson plans that will sustain the interest of the youth and make them understand the meaningfulness of the concepts and the skills we are attempting to impart.

Invite competent educators to work with the youth - those who have mastered the art and science of teaching and managing the youth. In short, get highly-qualified and certified teachers and trainers to be in the programme. Education is too precious an enterprise to be left to those who are good at killing the creativity of the learners.

4.Train the trainers to understand who they are working with and how best to develop the minds of those they are attempting to educate. Again, the idea that education is a gentle profession must be applied to the training programme that hopes to create thinking citizens who will value knowledge as a most powerful tool of nationalism as well as to understand the complexities of globalisation and cut-throat crony-corporate capitalism.

The trainers and educators should undergo a six-month university-offered course in Cross-Cultural Perspectives in order to equip themselves with enough concepts and skills to teach a multi-ethnic population that is diverse.

5. Create a 'voucher system', in which a youth will bring a certificate of educational funding, and choose which program at an institution of choice to attend in order to fulfill the requirement of a National Mind Development Service programme.

The money allocated for each participant is channeled to the proper organisation/university; one that can provide training based on a set of competency standards.

In other words, the youth are the customers of the quality service we provide. This should be better than treating them like juvenile delinquents and prospective inhabitants of our prison-industrial complexes.

Create an incentive such as college credits or Advance Placement courses (AP) for universities that will help youth transfer the earned credits to meet the needs of a university/university college foundation course.

The voucher system would also build into the programme the notion of accountability. The universities or service-provider institution, will have to market themselves well and follow the national standards closely.

6. Have universities managing this programme conduct sustained and cumulative action research projects that will document the success or concerns of this project. I am sure each institution, given adequate funding, can produce magnificent evaluation report as nationally and internationally significant to document the intellectual development of our precious youth.

Foundational questions

The Malaysian Mind Development Project, my proposal for an alternative to the current national service, should be based on several fundamental questions that will form the basis of this major undertaking. Following are the foundational ones:
- How has politics, economics, sociology, and psychology shape the Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban, Kadazan, etc youth of today?

- What do they value? What are their hopes? How has tradition contributed to their identity? What is the nature of youth culture they are in at this point in history? How might we teach them to explore transcultural identities better?

-How can this information be used to create a good enough mind development project to effect the changes in thinking we wish to see? What kind of political, social, and cultural system would they desire as a utopia? How do we help our youth construct an ethical society that can regenerate itself through revolutionary and evolutionary changes based on the truth-force of transcultural philosophies?

Herein lies the importance of training in multi-cultural education that values conflict resolution more than indoctrination and military training. Knowledge is power. History is a subjective field of knowledge; a study of the creation of the possibilities of freedom out of cultural constraints and cultures that disable.

Approach the training from a neurolinguistic perspective of teaching; an approach which begins with respecting the child as a powerful, intelligent, loving, and wise human being, and designing curriculum and instruction that values the dialogical process more than dictatorial approaches.

Education is not about humiliating people in boot camps. This paradigm is only suitable for the creation of a society made up of masters and slaves.

A plethora of research into brain science and its application to the principles of learning points to the idea that when learning happens in a stressful, dictatorial, meaningless environment, the natural response of the brain will be to be in a 'fight and flight' mode. A positive environment will be one that will not have the children be talked down at or worse, yelled at. Poor curriculum design and incompetent educators add to the breakdown of the learning system.

We must create world-class youths that can think, argue, reason, rationalise and create ethical alternative futures from the ideological ruins of yesteryears - youth that will know the value of peace and inter-faith dialogues, inter-cultural understanding that breaks the shackles of ethnocentrism, parochialism, and greed.

What must we do?

I therefore address all of you:

Youth of today, would you agree to a newer design that is based on strategies to develop your cognitive and emotional intelligences? Even in the United States, research on the effectiveness of boot camps as a positive experience remain inconclusive.

Parents, ask questions of what is the meaning of education, instead of letting the state jail your children! The children will learn to hate learning and most likely end up being unpatriotic.

Military-leaders turn educators and professor in uniforms - you need to make way for liberal, humanistic educators to take charge of this process of social reproduction.

Leaders in government, rethink how we may create a better society. The future of our youth lies in your hands. We must begin releasing their imagination, by providing the tools of critical, creative, ethical, and futuristic thinking; we cannot impose our thinking that has run its course.

Teachers, your role essentially is to transform the next generation into 'radical multi-cultural and transcultural beings' These beings will be the next generation of leaders and informed citizens that can create a new government based on reason and reflection, not one based on the modern class and caste system nor on ethnocentrism or retrogressive religious extremism.

Professors of education, and professors in other fields, help the progressive teachers in our society to work out a collaborative plan to help bring our youth back to the field of cognitive development, not let their minds be played around with in some remote encampment.

Government executives, educate and liberate our youth to chart their own destiny, so that they may become makers of their own history. Trust them to build a better future than what we have; a future that celebrates peace, social justice, social equality, and tolerance. A future based on the rule of reason and virtue.

We must go back to the essence of things entire. We must de-evolve. We cannot afford any more deaths in our boot camps. They are not going to die with this brand of patriotism.

Parents ... Wake Up! Wake Up!

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Mon, 12 May 2008 01:47:00 +0000

By Prof. Dr Mohamad Tajuddin Mohamad Rasdi
___________________________________________________

I have been calling for a public inquiry on all the National Service deaths since six letters ago. Yet nothing has come out from our unconcerned Lee Lam Thye or Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil, the director-general of National Service, Ministry of Defence.

The parents of the newest deaths have decided to sue for negligence and I fully support them. I have always suspected that the camps have played a major role in the deaths by not alerting parents, not using proper procedure and simply not caring two cents what happens to our children.

Take the two cases quoted by The Star (May 11) by the parents. John Ooi wrote that his son was urinating blood and was kept in the camp in Bintulu for several days before being sent to hospital. When the condition showed no changes, John said he faxed a letter to Dato�?? Hadi to ask permission to take his son to a KL specialist. He said that his letter was never replied.

Another parent wrote that his child was kept in the Semanggul camp for many days with severe diarrhoea and vomiting whilst the parents were never told of the condition. These two cases support my argument that the NS people do not have the expertise to take care of our children. We parents must demand two important things from the NS while waiting for a complete revamp of the programme.

The first thing is that all the trainees must be allowed handphone access at ALL times. This is to facilitate their calling parents when they are sick or bullied, or molested or bitten by snakes. Parents should also make a habit of calling them at least once in two days. Yes, we all �??manjakan anak�??. In the context of more than 20 deaths, I think we as parents are more than justified in NOT trusting the NS people at all.

The second thing we must demand is that any and all cases of sickness MUST be referred immediately to a nearby clinic in town with a certified doctor. I no longer trust Dato�?? Hadi�??s Medical Unit with his so-called Medical Assistants. No go, Dato�??. Your setup is a total screw-up! You should pray that we parents don�??t prosecute you and your staff along with that Lee Lam Thye for causing the deaths of all the children.

If these two conditions are not met, I do not foresee anything but absolute danger for our children in this murderous programme. After this, we must call for a complete stop to all NS programmes. We must call for a public inquiry into all the deaths and prosecute all the officials involved. Then we must sit down together to debate what programme, if need be at all, is most suitable for our �??manja�?? children.

If ever Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim comes to power, the first thing I will personally ask him is to stop this murderous programme! If not, then, moving to another country is my next option next year.

Prof Tajuddin earlier voiced his reservations about NS in these letters to Malaysiakini:

www.malaysiakini.com/letters/82601

www.malaysiakini.com/letters/82174

www.malaysiakini.com/letters/81755

To get the ball rolling on the National Service pressure group, the Prof has volunteered RM2,000 for printing posters and underwriting other campaign expenditure.

Rakyat doesn't have to believe Najib

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Sat, 10 May 2008 05:52:00 +0000

The following piece was originally published as a Letter to the Editor in Malaysiakini on May 9, 2008.

It's truly amazing! We the rakyat voted in the government, and the government, in turn, whenever it so pleases, uses draconian laws against us. Such is the gall of the government of this land. They are able to use the country's laws at their whims and fancies against the rakyat. No need for proof. No need to weigh the merits of the case. Just arrest them and put them in jail.

Question: can the rakyat do the same to the leaders in government? Can the rakyat haul government leaders into jail if there are any insinuation of impropriety? The rakyat, after all, are the people who voted them into office. So why is it that the "employee" is now abusing the real boss?

It appears that these 'wakil rakyat' (read: employee) believe they know better than the rakyat (read: the boss), and believe they should decide on behalf of the boss what is good and what is bad for 'him.' A case in point: charging prominent blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, the editor of Malaysia-Today under the Sedition Act. There is no need to clarify the meaning of the word "seditious." Enough has been said in the last few days of its meaning.

The government, in this case, is saying "we think this Raja Petra fellow is doing great harm to the nation and its leaders, and we have decided that he should be punished to the fullest extent of the law to keep peace and ensure national security."

In a Bernama report, DPM Najib Razak was quoted as saying: "The government will continue to be liberal towards bloggers and netizens, but this country has laws on libel and defamation. Just because you operate in cyberspace, it doesn't mean you are absolved of having to comply with the laws of the nation." The DPM also said he did not believe the government's action against Raja Petra would affect the country's good name. The action, he said, was to "to draw the line between right and wrong."

Really? But then again ... that is what he thinks. And he obviously continues to think the rakyat is stupid. Wake up! This is the 21st Century. Just as his own lovely wife has cautioned the people not to "telan bulat-bulat" what has been said about her, the rakyat will not "telan bulat-bulat" what he has said in the newspapers (read: mainstream media). Onus is on him to convince us, not the other way around. We don't necessarily share his opinion or believe his explanation anymore. The rakyat doesn't have to. And just because we don't agree with what the government is saying to us does not mean we are against the government or being seditious.

Critics of the government are not traitors. They are, in fact, patriots! Unlike many of our so-called "leaders" in government who cannot or simply refuse to acknowledge their wrong-doings and failures, and continue to insist that there is nothing wrong with the government and how they are running the country, RPK is calling a spade, a spade. Nothing more. Nothing less. He is simply seeking justice for a girl who is no longer around to defend herself. And for that he gets to be sent to the slammer.

This, sadly, is only the tip of the iceberg.

Gerakan Wanita chief Tan Lian Hoe, in a strongly-worded winding-up speech last year at the party's national delegates conference, said merely listening to the grouses from the rakyat will be insufficient as what the people wanted are for swift actions to be taken. She referred to PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's opening speech the day before (at the party's national delegates conference) that the latter wanted to hear the truth even if it hurts.

Our dear PM wants to hear the truth even if it hurts? But he's only good at listening. He has not done very much.

"Listen, listen, listen, but no action taken. The people are actually disappointed, frustrated and angry," Tan told the delegates. "It is useless that we only listen but no firm and swift action is being taken. This would not solve the problem," she added, pointing out that those who voiced their grouses against the government should not be deemed as traitors. "They are not traitors, they just want to air their views. The real traitors are those who are corrupt, do not have integrity and dishonest," she added.

Meanwhile, the DPM also claimed that the purchase of Sukhoi fighter jets and the Scorpene submarines were above board and had received approvals at all levels and adhered to all the required procedures. By that, he was also implying that there is absolutely no need for the government to establish a commission to investigate the negotiations for the purchase of the aircraft and submarines.

Now ... billions of taxpayers money are involved here. At the very least, the books should be open for the rakyat (the government's direct boss) to scrutinise the transactions. Don't shut the books and tell us that the purchases were above board. That is not good enough and totally unacceptable in this day and age where transparency is vital and expected, particularly for persons in public office.

The Barisan Nasional government has completely lost the plot! Not only that ... it has also lost the respect and the trust of the people it was supposed to represent. Instead of waking up after receiving a very tight slap on its face after the March 8 General Election, the Abdullah Ahmad Badawi-led government continues in its wanton ways to rile up the rakyat as if challenging the rakyat to see if we dare to speak up. One could almost hear the government saying this ... "I dare you to criticise us. You sure don't want to end up like Raja Petra."

Speak up we will. In fact, we already have. And the rakyat is giving you a chance to prove yourself one last time. But at the rate things are going, it will not be a surprise if Barisan Nasional is thrust into oblivion in the 13th General Election, yes ... together with its other race-centred component parties.

In a democracy, whichever style you want to call it, everyone has a voice. This right does not belong to any one race or person or religion. Instead of serving the rakyat, the AAB-led government continues to 'champion' archaic issues like "Ketuanan Melayu," the New Economic Policy (NEP), and other race and religion-related stuff. Does it not know that these are no longer in vogue in the 21st Century's global village?

Why can't the AAB-led government champion worthy causes like justice (the Altantuya Murder Case, for instance, to ensure that the perpetrators are incarcerated), racial integration and harmony, religious tolerance, integrity in the judiciary, equality for all, freedom of speech, human rights, etc.

Surely we want our children to grow up with these. Or don't we?

We certainly don't want our children to emulate leaders who grab a woman's bottom and get away with it, hurl sexist and racist remarks in Parliament or close one eye to corruption.

Only Fools Never Learn

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:14:00 +0000

I am sick and tired of listening to a bunch of racists telling right-minded Malaysians how they are defending the so-called Malay rights, Chinese rights, Indian rights and what have you. I think this bullshit should stop. What about the Malaysian right? What about human rights? What about the rights of the poor in this country? The idiots in UMNO have obviously not learned their lesson. And this is after getting some really tight slaps on the face by the rakyat. Only fools never learn.

Race and religion-based politics are no longer in vogue. Which part of this is hard to understand?

The Minister of Education (who is also the UMNO Youth Chief) made an apology for his keris-wielding antics. It didn't sound like an apology to me. He also daringly said there is no need for him to resign. Who is this clown? His father and grandfather will be ashamed to have a clown like him. Imagine the nerve he has to even think he is in line to be the Prime Minister of this country? Just because he has some illustrious forefathers does not qualify him to lead this country! The same goes for the very tainted Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is his cousin.

The rakyat will not allow any dynasty to rule Malaysia. We are sick and tired of idiots and clowns who have continually pit one race against another in the last 50 years. The honest truth is the rakyat has no problems with one another. These so-called problems have been thought out and used by the idiots and clowns in UMNO and the so-called Barisan Nasional to divide and conquer. It will come to an end soon. The ultimate rulers of this great land are no other than the rakyat. I hope these idiots and clowns know that.

And they better wake up. Otherwise, the 13th General Election will see the demise of racist groups like UMNO, MCA and MIC!

The Honest Face of ACA?

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 05:23:00 +0000

On the day he announced his new-look cabinet, PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi declared that it was compulsory for all ministers and deputy ministers and their spouses plus immediate family members to declare their assets, and this morning the ACA director-general Datuk Ahmad Said Hamdan said the declarations will be available online for all to see.

This is part of the PM's aim to ensure a corrupt-free government it seems.

But does the PM think the rakyat is stupid ... again? Does he think members of his cabinet will be truthful? Does he not know there is something called hiding everything behind appointed nominees? Does he not know the propensity for his cabinet members to outright lie about their assets?

This is none other than a stupid public relations stunt (that is again ill thought out).

I am eager to find out what his abled deputy would declare.

What's Mike Tyson doing in the Cabinet?

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:33:00 +0000

Our dear Prime Minister said his new term in office will see his plans for Malaysia carried out. He wants to deliver what he has promised or so it seems. So what is the man with two Muhammads in his name doing in his new cabinet as the minister of rural and regional development? Isn't he corruption personified? And if he is, isn't he a discredit to the new, clean cabinet that our dear Pak Lah wants to put together?

Why does the Prime Minister want to put a person with questionable reputation in his cabinet? Who is he and what does he have that others don't when it comes to carrying out his task as a minister? He didn't even contest in the election. Okay ... you can make him a senator. But that's not the point. The point is he is not exceptionable that he should be in the cabinet. Save a few, most of the members of the new cabinet are just ordinary folks ... some even without proper academic credentials.

So Mr Prime Minister ... isn't your judgment way off the rakyat's expectations?

Pak Lah's New Team

Prime Minister
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Umno)

Deputy Prime Minister
Najib Razak (Umno)

Finance Minister
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Umno)

Second Finance Minister
Nor Mohamed Yakcop (Umno)

Deputies: Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah (Umno), Kong Cho Ha (MCA)

Defence Minister
Najib Razak (Umno)

Deputy: Abu Seman Yusop (Umno)

Housing and Local Government Minister
Ong Ka Chuan (MCA)

Deputy: Robert Lau Hoi Chew (Supp), Hamzah Zainuddin (Umno)

Works Minister
Mohd Zin Mohamed (Umno)

Deputy: Yong Khoon Seng (Supp)

Energy, Water and Communications Minister
Shaziman Abu Mansor

Deputy: Joseph Salang Gandum

Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister
Mustapa Mohamad (Umno)

Deputy: Rohani Abdul Karim (Umno)

International Trade and Industry Minister
Muhyiddin Yassin (Umno)

Deputy: Leow Wei Keong (LDP), Yaakob Dungau Sagan

Foreign Minister
Dr Rais Yatim

Deputy: Tengku Azlan Abu Bakar (Umno)

Education Minister
Hishammuddin Hussein (Umno)

Deputies: Dr Wee Ka Siong (MCA), Razali Ismail (Umno)

Transport Minister
Ong Tee Keat (MCA)

Deputy: Anifah Aman

Health Minister
Liow Tiong Lai (MCA)

Deputy: Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad (Umno)

Human Resources Minister
Dr S Subramaniam (MIC)

Deputy: Noraini Ahmad (Umno)

Home Affairs and Internal Security Minister
Syed Hamid Albar (Umno)

Deputies: Chor Chee Heung (MCA), Wan Ahmad Farid (Umno)

Women, Family and Community Development Minister
Dr Ng Yen Yen (MCA)

Deputy: Norliah Kasmon

Culture, Arts, Heritage and National Unity Minister
Shafie Apdal (Umno)

Deputy: Teng Boon Soon (MCA)

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister
Dr Maximum Ongkili

Deputy: Fadillah Yusof

Entrepreneurial and Cooperative Development Minister
Noh Omar (Umno)

Deputy: Saifudin Abdullah

Higher Education Minister
Khaled Nordin (Umno)

Deputies: Idris Haron (Umno), Dr Hou Kok Chung (MCA)

Information Minister
Ahmad Shabery Cheek (Umno)

Deputy: Tan Lian Hoe (Gerakan)

Natural Resources and Environment Minister
Douglas Uggah Embas (PPB)

Deputy: Abdul Ghapur Salleh (Umno)

Rural and Regional Development Minister
Senator Muhammad Muhammad Taib (Umno)

Deputy: Joseph Entulu

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister
Abdul Shahrir Samad (Umno)

Deputy:

Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister
Peter Chin Fah Kui (Supp)

Deputy: Kohilan Pillay (Gerakan)

Youth & Sports Minister
Ismail Sabri Yaakob (Umno)

Deputy: Wee Jack Seng (MCA)

Tourism Minister
Azalina Othman Said (Umno)

Deputy: Sulaiman Abu Taib (PBB)

Federal Territories Minister
Zulhasnan Rafique (Umno)

Deputy: M Saravanan (MIC)

Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department

Zaid Ibrahim (to be appointed senator) - Legal Affairs
Zahid Hamidi (Umno)
Bernard Dompok (Upko)
Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz (Umno)
Amirsham Aziz (ex-Maybank)

Loud No More ... Hopefully

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 08:47:00 +0000

The Parliament loud-mouth sounded so subdued (read The Star story below). Padang Rengas MP Nazri Aziz is singing a different tune these days ... no more the loud, arrogant and irritable idiot he is. Perhaps his law training would help him debate more intelligently in Parliament when the august House next sit. No more name calling ... no more insults and no more derogatory comments. He will be facing 82 worthy opponents for his next term in office. Yes ... 82 pair of eyes watching his every move, 82 pair of ears listening to whatever he says and proposes in Parliament and 82 mouths to shut him up should he misbehave.

Don't feel so good now eh Nazri? First lesson in politics: be humble. The people put you in office. The people will boot you out of office as well. Remember that. Don't challenge the rakyat. Don't threaten them. Don't treat them like morons. You have seen the consequences. Not pretty, isn't it?

UMNO clearly lost the General Election. The people won it despite the odds that were stacked against them. You ought to be ashamed of yourself! Please do us all a favour ... tell your keris-wielding colleague to stop his stupid act. The people were not amused. Tell your so-called 'leader-in-waiting' to perish the thought of becoming the next Prime Minister. Ask him to figure out how he's going to resolve Razak Baginda's problems and appease the ghost of Altantuya Shaaribu first before thinking of anything else.

And oh ... you mustn't forget to tell that Oxford-trained SIL to not try anything funny. As it is, things are not looking good for his FIL. And perhaps with it, his ambitions of becoming Malaysia's PM before he turns 40.

___________________________________________________

By Shahanaaz Habib, The Star

The election results signal the beginning of the possible demise of the New Economic Policy (NEP) and special rights for the Malays, said Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz.

The Umno supreme council member said it appeared that the Malays, especially in the town areas, had become more confident now and felt they could compete with the other races on a level playing field.

�??We (Umno) have to really sit down and think. It looks like the educated Malays do not care about Malay rights anymore,�?? he said when contacted.

�??The Malay doctors, lawyers, engineers feel they have made it on their own merit.

�??It looks like the NEP is not something that can be used to persuade the Malays to support the Barisan Nasional.

�??The Malays are saying �??you can�??t scare us by talking about us losing our rights, because we are here on our own merit�??.�??

Nazri said it looked like some Malays felt that the NEP was unfair, and questioned why special rights should be given to the Malays.

He described the new confidence among the Malays as good for the Malay psyche.

In the just concluded election, the Barisan only managed a simple majority in Parliament, and lost five states (Kedah, Selangor, Kelantan, Penang and Perak) to the Opposition.

The Opposition had largely said they would dismantle the NEP and put in a place a new affirmative action policy based on need rather than race.

Nazri, who retained his Padang Rengas parliamentary seat by a majority of 1,749 votes, said he barely survived the political tsunami.

He said the youngsters �?? Chinese, Indians and Malays �?? who returned from Kuala Lumpur to vote in Perak had tried to persuade their parents, who are Barisan supporters, to either not go out to vote or vote for the Opposition.

�??I only survived because of my personal touch with the voters,�?? he said.

He believed the political landscape in the country had changed irreversibly and that all parties would now have to work harder.

�??Every wakil rakyat will have to work to win the hearts of the people. This is good for Malaysia because, at the end of the day, it is the rakyat who benefits,�?? he said.

Why a PAS MB in Perak?

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 01:32:00 +0000

Okay. What just happened?

The People's Coalition won 31 of the 59 state seats in Perak ... DAP eighteen (18), PKR seven (7) and PAS six (6). BN had the remainder. PKR and PAS together makes thirteen (13), which is still five (5) short of DAP's eighteen (18).

So why is it that the Menteri Besar of Perak has to be a PAS candidate? It just doesn't make sense.

Enter the state Constitution. Only a Muslim-Malay can be the MB.

But the Sultan has the right to override that. The question is: why didn't His Royal Highness do it?

DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang is infuriated. Can you blame him?

And before anyone starts pointing fingers, I have this to say. As a nation, we have made tremendous progress with the recently completed General Election. It has been hailed as the dawn of a new beginning for Malaysian politics, for Malaysian democracy. So let's all calmly figure this out carefully.

PAS being the party that has the least number of seats should politely decline the MB's post from the very beginning. That would be gentlemanly. Let DAP and PKR sort it out. If PAS had pulled out from the equation, it would have been a much easier, and much more palatable outcome.

The colour of one's skin should not even come into the picture. Aren't we moving away from communal politics? Or are we? The candidate for the MB's post should never be based on skin colour. And even if such a requirement is enshrined in the state Constitution, it should be amended. It should be based on who's the best person for the job. Race and religion-based politics are no longer in fashion.

We are in the 21st Century. We are in the Information Age. And pretty soon, national borders would also not even make any more sense.

From DAP's vantage point, they have the right to govern the state of Perak. They make up the largest portion of the People's Coalition. And that is democracy isn't it?

Perak also happens to have a significantly large Chinese population. Denying their (DAP) candidate this mandate would be cruel. Imagine for a moment the Sultan of Kedah agreeing to the DAP candidate in Kedah to be the MB? What would PAS say?

The issue of whether a Chinese MB can take care of the interests of the Malays and Indians should not arise. The candidate is first the MB of the people of Perak. Not just the MB of the Malays, or the Chinese or the Indians. He is the MB of the people. Period. The ex MB of Selangor was trying to insinuate that the new state government of Selangor would not be able to take care of Malay interests in the state. Why does he have to do this? He's indirectly saying that even Khalid Ibrahim is not able to take care of the interests of the Malays. That is not right. So the more we move away from these racial considerations the better. The people we voted into office must take care of the interests of Malaysians, not just the interests of a select group.

That said ... DAP should not have agreed in an earlier Press Conference that they would leave it to the Sultan of Perak to make a decision on the candidates (one each from DAP, PKR and PAS) put forth. But having done that, Uncle Lim should not have protested when the decision is made. He should accept whatever that has been decided as a gentleman.

Boycotting the swearing-in ceremony would not be a good idea. Do not follow what the BN folks did to Guan Eng in Penang.

My ... My ... He's Still Arrogant!

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 07:34:00 +0000

In a Malaysiakini report this morning, the ex-Menteri Besar of Selangor, who saw his 'kingdom' fell to the hands of the 'People's Coalition' in the 12th General Election said he and his colleagues in Barisan Nasional "will do everything to ensure that the Opposition-led state government will fulfil all of its pre-election promises." This ... coming from the man who didn't fulfill a single of his own pre-election promise in 2004. I am beginning to wonder how he actually got elected this time round. A lot of folks in Sungai Panjang must have be blinded when they were at the polling stations.

Selangor, under Khir Toyo's administration, was one of the most corrupt states in Malaysia. The likes of the infamous Zakaria Mat Deros (who has since passed on) were plundering the state's coffers and resources to enrich themselves. The municipal councillors, the civil servants, you name it were Little Napoleons terrorising the rakyat. Now he's telling the new state government what to do.

Yo Khir ... please step aside and let them do their job. I'm very sure they will do a much, much better job than you did. And forget it, you will never win Selangor back again. And that is a promise by the People. We know what to do. If the new government is also not listening to the people, they will be booted out as well in the next election.

By now, you would have realised that it is the rakyat that put you in office. Not your political masters. And the reason we put you in office is for you to work on our behalf; to look into our interests. Not yours, or your cronies. So if you desire high office, roll up your sleeves and work. No short cuts. The rakyat has had enough!

Also stop being a racist. The GE12 would have driven the message loud and clear into your thick skull that racial and religious politics are no longer in vogue. So stop the crap. The new state government will know how to take care of the interests of the rakyat. They will discharge their duties without fear or favour; without looking at skin colour. You didn't. So stop trying to bring race into the picture. The colour of one's skin has got nothing to do with how well he/she does a job. The new government, my dear Khir Toyo will know how to safeguard the interests of the Selangor people. They don't need your advice.

And the fact that there are only a few Malay Exco members in the state line-up is also none of your business. They won't practise discrimination. Please do not tell the new state government to heed the racial sensitivity of the Selangor people. They know what to do. You didn't. So you have no right to tell them that. You, after all, were the person responsible for the tearing down of a Hindu temple a few days before Deepavali last year. You call that being sensitive to the needs of other races?

I think it's best you stop talking. You have lost your right.

You didn't do your job. Now let someone else have some space and do their job.

New Morning

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 06:52:00 +0000

By Yeo Yang Poh

The 8th day of March 2008 is a milestone in Malaysian history; and the 9th, the following day, witnesses a new morning.

For half a century, Malaysians (for a variety of reasons both real and imagined) have got accustomed to living under a political monopoly, believing and fearing that any substantial change would be detrimental to their own interest. It was, in part, an indoctrinated fear.

That psychological shackle of fear has now been broken.

The Barisan Nasional (including its predecessor), having ruled the country since independence, is naturally wondering why its iron-fisted monopoly has been so suddenly and unexpectedly breached. For the sake of moving the nation forward, this enquiry, if it can be carried out with brutal and painful frankness, will be a meaningful one.

The reasons for this moment of truth are multiple and complex, almost too numerous to list. But I suggest that they include the following:

(a) There is no denial that the coalition formula was necessary for the attainment of independence. The spirit of working together, as equal partners, was both admirable and essential. Equal, that is, though not in terms of numbers, but in terms of rights and responsibilities. However, over the years, the gradual erosion of this spirit, brought about by the greed for power and wealth, has betrayed the essence of the coalition formula, and has turned it from a winning formula into an oppressive one.

(b) To maintain power and control, it became expedient to arrange politics according to race, in order to divide and rule, first along racial lines, and then along religious ones. The coalition becomes equal only in the payment of lip service. It gets increasingly difficult to convince the affected persons that this is a partnership of equals, while their representatives are compelled to continue insisting that it is.

(c) The preoccupation by the ruling elite in pursuing personal power and wealth, fuelled by an unbroken string of successes no matter how audacious their conduct has become, has entrenched a culture of ignoring the genuine needs and wishes of the people. The citizens�?? voices of appeal may grow louder and louder, but are met with either deaf ears or insincere promises that are repeatedly broken. Those who dare to turn up the volume of their complaints are harshly dealt with. But the people cannot be fooled forever. Carrots delivered just before each election might have worked for a while, but cannot work indefinitely. And the people cannot be cowed forever.

(d) For decades Malaysians with genuine grouses or who wish to offer solutions for societal problems were told to work �??within the system�??. �??If you want something (that ought to be yours in the first place), come and work within the system�?? is the fatherly decree issued throughout the years. That might be acceptable if the system in fact works. Alas, most experience of working within the system soon became �??begging the system�??, with small successes and huge frustrations. Is it surprising, then, that a time will come when the people will say that enough is enough?

(e) A system of the above nature allows sycophants and leaders with personal agenda to thrive, while those who wish to reveal the truth and improve the lot of the people are at best ignored and at worst persecuted. Such is the perfect recipe for an eventual downfall.

(f) The above expanding phenomena, and many others, have manufactured a host of fatal problems such as endemic corruption, depletion of national resources, inequity in the distribution of resources, abuse of power, and the like; in short, an unfair society. It is a matter of time before simmering discontent acquires an erupting force.

(g) Arrogance on the part of the ruling elite (again because of their unbroken record of successes and the fear tactics that they have no reservation in using) makes them blind to the repeated warnings that things are about to boil over. The use of threats, splashed on the front pages of newspapers in the days leading to the election, sickened many, and probably backfired. Some of those threats had clear racial undertones. It was Malaysians who, in casting their votes, had surprised the Barisan by rising above racial divide (such as in Penang and Klang). The Barisan has underestimated the growing maturity of the Malaysian electorate.

There are of course many more reasons and causes than those mentioned above. If the Barisan wishes to regain lost ground in the future, it needs to sincerely pay heed to frank advice, and remedy its serious shortcomings.

Now that the political monopoly has been broken in a number of States, and the future prospect of breaking the same at the federal level has become an attainable goal rather than a dream, the Opposition (which is now the ruling party at some State levels) has a mountain of work ahead. So much hope is pinned on their shoulders.

Among the most important things that the Opposition must do are the following.

(i) They must never forget, not even in their sleep, that their much-improved victory is not their victory, but the victory of the people. Thus they must serve the people with humility and dedication. They should be proud, not of their success, but of the people who have enabled them to succeed.

(ii) Having been in the opposition for so long, some of them need to quickly learn the ropes of governing. Teething problems are inevitable. Be transparent and frank to the people, and remedy any errors as soon as they are discovered. While the people expect perfect bona fide and honesty, they will be forgiving about imperfections in the execution of tasks, when things are done transparently.

(iii) Identify and divide tasks into various categories: those that require urgent attention, short-term goals, long-term policies, and so on. Set timelines for each task, though not cast in stones, and make every effort to keep to them. Engage or employ the right people for the right jobs. Outsource if need be.

(iv) Pay immediate attention to issues that are most burning to the people, such as the economy, poverty issues, equitable distribution of resources and opportunities, security, etc.

(v) Set up effective oversight mechanisms immediately, especially in relation to financial matters, the processing and granting of permits and contracts, and corruption in the public sector. This must include a strict monitoring of the members of the Opposition themselves, to ensure that no corruption or cronyism is practised.

(vi) Set up effective mechanism to receive and address complaints from members of the public.

(vii) Opposition leaders at all levels, and in particular the top leaders, must ensure that there is no in-fighting among themselves, for this will quickly destroy the faith that Malaysians have placed on them by giving them this opportunity that is hitherto unprecedented in Malaysian history.

The challenge for the Opposition in the coming months and years is a huge one. There will be many more ways to fail in this challenge than to succeed. They have to be always vigilant, honest and humble. Opposition members are not exempt from frequent visits by the demons of human weaknesses. The same people who have put them there can as easily reverse the decision if they should betray the faith placed in them.

Checks and balances are essential for any system of government. This new morning in Malaysia will in the long run benefit all Malaysians, whatever their political persuasions may be. Let us all get down to hard, honest work.

The Worst of Times, the Best of Times.

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 02:03:00 +0000

I had told friends that I wanted to be pleasantly surprised this election a few weeks before March 8. I was more than pleasantly surprised. It was an unprecedented win for the People! It was not a win for the Opposition. In my mind, there is no Opposition. The word was created by UMNO to label its worthy opponents; to paint a picture of rebels in the mind of the people. That's all.

Now the People have spoken ... in deafening decibels. And the government with a simple majority must listen to make itself remain relevant. The People are no fools. Don't expect them to take crap day in and day out. UMNO challenged the People to take it to the ballot boxes if they are not happy. The People did. The People gave the ruling government a bashing. Now ... instead of pointing figures, it's time for some self-reflection. Look inward at the litany of abuses over the decades. The corruption, the cronyism, the betrayal of trust, the arrogance ... the list goes on and on.

It's a humiliating defeat for Barisan Nasional. But there is a lesson to be learned.

Learn well, Mr PM. Learn well. Otherwise, BN and UMNO will be totally irrelevant.

What is most heartening this round is the fact that the political awareness of the People has risen to new levels. Folks who were previously ignorant of the electoral process have awaken from their political slumber. They are taking a new interest in politics. They have seen the light. They are now new Plato converts. The famous Greek philosopher once said, "One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors."

Malaysians no longer want to be governed by their inferiors!

I have no clue who the author of the piece below is, but have a read anyway.
___________________________________________________

Elections 2008: An Assessment

It's an outcome beyond anyone's dream or nightmare. Unprecedented. The Barisan Nasional lost not only its 2/3 majority in Parliament which had allowed it to amend the Federal Constitution several hundred times in 50 years to keep itself in power all this while. It also lost five state governments, several ministers and all but one of its MPs in Kuala Lumpur. This is not tsunami. It is worse than that. It is the worst of times and also the best of times.

Things will never be the same again. UMNO's key partners in the coalition; Gerakan, MIC, PPP have all been but wiped out and its principal partner, the MCA is now on life support. Barisan is now reduced to a coalition between a badly wounded UMNO and its minor East Malaysian partners. As Chandra Muzaffar would have put it: Pak Lah is an unmitigated failure.

Seemingly so. Mahathir has asked the Prime Minister him to resign, reiterating that his hand picked successor is now unfit for high office. But remember, the rot didn't start with Pak Lah. Everything that smacks of bad governance, corruption and evil has its genesis in Mahathir. The old man is an unmitigated failure in his own right. Mahathir wants Najib to be the PM. We all know that. At the press conference early this morning by Pak Lah, Najib could hardly conceal his glee as the pretender to the throne. Maybe not. Anwar Ibrahim, the man whom Mahathir sent to jail for a crime he did not commit, has promised when he comes back to power, he would appoint Najib as Ambassador to Mongolia to be haunted by a Mongolian woman ghost.

It's the worst of times because we had to suffer living under a regime that is both feudal and racist for 50 long years, 23 of which were under Mahathir.

But it is also the best of times. Why? Because at last there seems to be a hope of a true two-party constitutional monarchy. Do we dare to hope? Or are we hopeless?

The man of the hour undoubtedly is Anwar Ibrahim. But he is a dangerous man. Of course, that's why the good doctor locked him up for five years and Pak Lah prevented him from standing in this elections. Anwar is dangerous because he will connive with PAS to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state.

But Malaysia is already an Islamic state. Mahathir made it so and Najib has been appointed the Grand Imam. Why do we have to wait for Anwar to turn it into one? Under UMNO's Islamic state, one born a Hindu, or Buddhist, or Christian or even an atheist can and have been hastily buried a Muslim by some sleight of hand. Temples and churches have been destroyed, Bibles illegally seized or banned. Why give the honour to Anwar or PAS?

The worst of times may be over soon. Perhaps. The notorious son in law's head is now on the chopping block for running Pak Lah's UMNO and Cabinet without being elected into office until yesterday. There's talk that he will be made finance minister, a post which he has held illegally for a while now on the fourth floor of the Prime Minister's Office. According to Mahathir.

Take heart. It is also the best of times. The Saturday Night Massacre at the polls is People's Power �?? Makkal Sakthi. Not through the streets but through the ballot box. Let justice be done. Pak Lah must now release the five Hindraf leaders detained under the draconian Internal Security Act. Keeping them one day longer inside Kamunting would be a travesty of justice. Long live Hindraf.

Now all that needs to be done is to be in an attitude of thanksgiving and prayer, because by Providence, all hell did not break loose. The Police must be congratulated for being professional and doing a good job in the most trying of circumstances.

It is the best of times because the impossible has become possible, again by Providence. It is also a time for reconciliation and compassion. The joy is unprecedented for those who have triumphed. So is the grief for those who lost.

The night is nearly over, and a new dawn harkens. Let justice flow like a river, righteousness like a never ending stream. Now is the time to dream and hope and make it come through. For the sake of our children. And their children.

My Country Awake

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:35:00 +0000

By Rabindranath Tagore

Where the mind is without fear and the head held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by Thee into ever-widening thought and action;
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

A New National Emblem?

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 01:34:00 +0000

Literally Now or Never

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 07:10:00 +0000

Hi folks ... today's a special day. It's February 29, the only day that appears on the calendar once every four years during a leap year. Let's just make this leap year special for all Malaysians. It's got nothing to do with the Beijing Olympics, but everything to do with what we, as a nation, will be doing on March 8.

When we go to the polling stations on that day, let us talk very clearly and loudly with our votes. We must tell the ruling UMNO government that Malaysians are sick and very tired of their antics and we want change. We want to leapfrog from archaic racial and communal politics to one where democracy in its truest sense is practised and observed. Vote wisely.

I've got this gut feeling that the ruling party will be surprised. It's now or never folks. This is a very pivotal election. It will set the course of action for what Malaysians truly want for their country; for how politics should, how economics should be and what freedom really is.

The UMNO government claims it has developed the country, and yet the truth could not be sadder. Outside the Klang Valley, many Malaysians are still struggling below the poverty line. Yes ... a very pathetic state of affairs. But UMNO can still tell its lies and printing a shining report card for itself this election. Are we gullible enough to believe these lies? Not me. Not this time!

It's time for change. And it's now or never, like what Elvis said. Read what Prof Chan has to say below.

___________________________________________________

Malaysia, Mussolini and Change
By Chan Chee Khoon, Feb 28, 2008 4:15PM (Malaysiakini)

Il Capitano: Il Duce, sir, the men are getting restive, morale is declining, food and supplies are running low, and it�??s more than a month since they had a change of clothing�?�
Il Duce (the leader, Benito Mussolini): So they want a change? (turning to the assembled soldiers) Enrico, you change with Paolo, Antonio, you change with Pietro �?�

Sophomoric humor admittedly, but it made the point effectively - there is change, and there is change.

Last week, Barbara Ehrenreich, a seasoned and astute observer of the US political scene, explained the Barack Obama �??phenomenon�?? and its appeal in these terms: �??The promise of �??change�?? is what drives the Obama juggernaut, and �??change�?? means wanting out of wherever you are now. It can even mean wanting out so badly that you don't much care exactly what that change will be".

Obama as the freshman senator from Illinois crafts a campaign slogan which counterposes �??the future versus the past�??, to distance himself from Washington�??s establishment insiders who are deemed to be tainted by years of compromising deals and business-as-usual sleaze. Click here for an intriguing discussion on Obama�??s economic advisers.

In 2005, Koizumi Junichiro, the incumbent prime minister and an LDP (Liberal Democratic Party) veteran, arguably pulled off an even more amazing feat when he tapped into a wellspring of disaffection among the Japanese electorate.

Disaffection towards what was widely perceived as a bloated and corrupt status quo - repeated scandals and a seedy history of reciprocal favors between LDP factions and their business and bureaucratic associates (�??iron triangles�??), post-retirement placements in cushy private sector jobs for senior technocrats (amakudari, descent from heaven), cosseted civil servants who �??continued enjoying their golfing retreats while the rest of us suffered the brunt of the collapsing bubble�??, etc.

The privatisation of Japan Post (the world�??s largest financial institution, and in effect a discretionary supplementary budget for the incumbent government) was adopted as Koizumi�??s key campaign slogan for (market-oriented) reforms.

Protest voting

This reform had little to do with enterprise efficiency or client satisfaction, but was largely cipher for anti-establishment sentiment and distaste for pork-barrel politics (let the �??free�?? market sort out cronyism, a familiar mantra).

Posing as a reformer and a crusader for change who was willing to confront entrenched interests (indeed, to �??destroy�?? the LDP if necessary), Koizumi went on to win a historic landslide in the September 2005 elections.

Are we experiencing a variant of this resurgent anti-status quo sentiment in Malaysia? Some incumbent Barisan Nasional politicians are clearly rattled. As polling day approaches (March 8, 2008), their unease mounts along with the increasing numbers of electorate who are persuaded that this time around, a vote for the ruling parties amounts to an endorsement of the unending abuse and lack of accountability which has been encouraged by uninterrupted tenure in public office.

An escalating mood for protest voting, no matter how unimpressive the alternative candidate, is clearly an alarming scenario for incumbents.

Hence the exhortations to not vote �??emotionally�??, to be wary of the cumulative consequences of individual protest votes on the �??electoral balance�??, etc, etc. But the incumbents are well aware that among many constituencies, they ignore this palpable mood for change at their own peril. Unable to offer �??change�?? as the incumbents in power, �??re-invention�?? (ie, internal change) has emerged as their preferred slogan.

There are many changes one could hope for in the coming elections. When Gordon Brown was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1997, one of his first acts as New Labour�??s incoming finance minister was to grant the Bank of England operational independence in monetary policy, and thus responsibility for setting interest rates.

From an institutional perspective, this might seem like a remarkable devolution of power by a politician, who as a group are generally loath to surrender powers and prerogatives. But London vies with New York as the pre-eminent global center for finance, the City�??s financial services account for 10 percent of the United Kingdom�??s gross domestic product, so the interests of finance capital ineluctably take precedence over the political ambitions of finance ministers.

Meaningful safeguards

As Malaysian lay citizens, we would hope (no, we demand) that those who seek public office would display the same degree of self-sacrifice.

Not in the interests of powerful constituencies, nor in the interests of self-perpetuating tenure in public office, but more importantly, in the interests of effective safeguards against future abuses of public office such as we have been subjected to these last decades.

It would be sad indeed, if democracy (like free markets?) were merely a cry of the excluded.

We expect our aspiring office holders, if successful in their quest for public office, to speedily put in place meaningful safeguards for transparent and accountable governance.

The concerns are well-known: a diminished and severely eroded judiciary, electoral blackmail, our shackled media and academia, rights of assembly and expression, ISA and police abuses, ACA partiality and lack of credibility, access to information of legitimate public interest, etc.

Along with other urgent issues of social justice, unjust discrimination, and developmental priorities, Malaysian citizens shall henceforth consider their contributions in such matters as key yardsticks by which we would gauge their performance as future holders of public office.
___________________________________________________

PROF CHAN CHEE KHOON is the Convenor, Health & Social Policy Research Cluster, Women's Development Research Centre (Kanita), Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Hands Off Our Bibles

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:48:00 +0000

It's been a while. In blogsphere perhaps this 'while' is too long. Too long to be silent especially when things are not right with the UMNO dominated government. In this morning's papers, we hear the Anti-Corruption Agency bribing the former secretary of V.K. Lingam with RM3,000 to keep her mouth shut because a case they were investigating involved several high-ranking government offials. Goodness, gracious! We hear testimonies about how members of the judiciary as well as Lingam lie about their liaisons. Now, how does one live with this info? Is anything sacred anymore? But that is another story.

Meanwhile, below is a news release from the Christian Federation of Malaysia which will not find its way into the mainstream media.

___________________________________________________

The Christian Federation of Malaysia registers its protest in the strongest terms, at the action of a Custom Officer at LCCT, who confiscated 32 English Bibles belonging to a Christian, who was bringing it from Manila for use in her church. The reason given by the Custom Officer is that since it is the Bible, it needs to be cleared by the Internal Security Ministry�??s Control Division of Publications and Al-Quran Texts.

Since when has English Bibles become a "security issue" in our country?

Why is it, the said Control Division is amassing such rights to itself that allow Muslim civil bureaucrats to decide for Christians what religious material they can read, or bring into the country?

We have received many complaints from Christians being told to hand over religious books to custom officers at various checkpoints in the country. Now they even want our Bibles!

The Bible is our holy and sacred book. We will not comply with any directive from government or its agencies that infringe on our right to use our sacred book and other Christian literature.

We appreciate that the Deputy Minister of Internal Security, Fu Ah Kiow has taken action to have the Bibles returned to the person concerned, explaining that the Customs officer had no such authority to seize the Bibles.

But in view of the fact that this is not an isolated case, we call upon Fu to come up with a directive restraining all government agencies from future harassment especially by the internal security enforcement officers. In the run-up to the National Elections, it is important for the churches to be convinced that the policy of the Barisan Nasional guarantees religious freedom and would not tolerate any actions that undermine the religious rights of all citizens of Malaysia.

Bishop Dr Paul Tan Chee Ing, SJ
Chairman, Christian Federation of Malaysia
February 5, 2008

Lee Kuan Yew Shows the Way

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 10:40:00 +0000

Instead of looking east, look south, just across the Causeway, Look at the facts, NOT politics. May be then, some sense will prevail in UMNO.
___________________________________________________

At 84, the Fire Still Burns!

By Ahmad Mustapha

Singapore's Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew, who was Singapore's founding father, has always been very direct in his comments. This was the man who outsmarted the communists in Singapore (with the innocent help of Malaya then and the willing help of the British) and who later outwitted the British and outpaced Malaysia in all spheres.

Singapore practices corrupt-free meritocracy and Malaysia affirmative action. The former attracted all the best brains and the latter chased out all the brains. The Singapore cabinet consists of dedicated and intelligent technocrats whereas Malaysia has one the most unwieldy cabinets. Not only that, brain wise it was below par not even good for the kampong.

With that kind of composition, one that is very brainy, naturally Singapore, with no natural resources could outstrip Malaysia in every aspect of development. Malaysia, on the other hand, was too much preoccupied with its Malayness and the illusory 'Ketuanan Melayu' and was also more interested in useless mega iconic development rather than real social and economic development.

Whenever Kuan Yew utters anything that deemed to be a slight on Malaysia, voices were raised admonishing him. Malaysia would never dare to face reality. That Singapore had shown that it could survive was a slap on those who believed that Singapore would fold up once it left Malaysia. Therefore it was natural that these doomsayers would try to rationalise their utterances to be in their favour to combat on whatever Kuan Yew commented. It's political jealousy.

Singapore achieved its development status without any fanfare. But here in Malaysia, a development that was deceptive was proclaimed as having achieved development status. It was trumpeted as an achievement that befits first world status. This was self delusion. Malaysians are led to believe into a make believe world, a dream world. The leaders who themselves tend to believe in their own fabricated world did not realise the people were not taken in by this kind of illusion.

Lee Kuan Yew believed in calling a spade a spade. I was there in Singapore when the People's Action Party won the elections in 1959. He was forthright in his briefing to party members as to what was expected of them and what Singapore would face in the future. Ideologically, I did not agree with him. We in the University of Malaya Socialist Club had a different interpretation of socialist reconstruction. But he was a pragmatist and wanted to bring development and welfare to the Singaporeans. Well! He succeeded.

Malaysia was so much embroiled in racial politics and due to the fear of losing political power, all actions taken by the main party in power was never targeted towards bringing wealth to all. Wealth was distributed to the chosen few only. They were the cronies and the backers of the party leadership to perpetuate their own selfish ends.

Seeing the efficiency and the progress achieved by Singapore caused the Malaysian leadership to suffer from an inferiority complex. That Malaysia should suffer from this complex was of its own making.

In a recent interview, Kuan Yew said that Malaysia could have done better if only it treated its minority Chinese and Indian population fairly. Instead they were completely marginalised and many of the best brains left the country in drove. He added that Singapore was a standing indictment to what Malaysia could have done differently. He just hit the nail right there on the head.*

Malaysia recently celebrated its 50th year of independence with a bagful of uncertainties. The racial divide has become more acute. The number of Malay graduates unemployed is on the increase. And this aspect can be very explosive. Sad to see that no positive actions have been taken to address these social ills.*

Various excuses were given by Malaysian leaders why Singapore had far outstripped Malaysia in all aspects of social and economic advancement. Singapore was small, they rationalised and therefore easy to manage. Singapore was not a state but merely an island.

There was one other aspect that Malaysia practises and that is to politicise all aspects of life. All government organs and machinery were 'UMNO-ised'. This was to ensure that the party will remain in power. Thus there was this misconception by the instruments of government as to what national interest is and what UMNO vested interest is.

UMNO vested interest only benefited a few and not the whole nation. But due to the UMNO-isation of the various instruments of government, the country under the present administration had equated UMNO vested interest as being that of national interest. Thus development became an avenue of making money and not for the benefit of the people. The fight against corruption took a back seat. Transparency was put on hold. And the instruments of government took it to be of national interest to cater to the vested interest of UMNO. Enforcement of various enactments and laws was selective. Thus a 'palace' in Kelang, APs cronies and close-one-eye UMNO MPs could exist without proper procedure. Corruption infested all govt departments, the worse is the police and lately even in the judiciary.

Singapore did not politicise its instruments of government. If ever policisation took place, it is guided by national interest. To be efficient and to be the best in the region was of paramount importance. Thus all the elements like corruption, lackadaisical attitude towards work and other black elements, which would retard such an aim, were eliminated. Singapore naturally had placed the right priority in it's pursuit to achieve what is best for its people. This is the major difference between these two independent countries.

Malaysia in its various attempts to cover up its failures embarked on several diversions. It wanted its citizens to be proud that the country had the tallest twin-tower in the world, although the structure was designed and built by foreigners. It's now a white-elephant wasting away. It achieved in sending a man into space at an exorbitant price. What's the purpose? These are what the Malays of old would say "menang sorak" (hollow victories).

It should be realised that administering a country can be likened to managing a corporate entity. If the management is efficient and dedicated and know what they are doing, the company will prosper. The reverse will be if the management is poor and bad. The company will go bust.

There are five countries around this region. There is Malaysia , and then Indonesia. To the east there is the Philippines and then there is that small enclave called the Sultanate of Brunei. All these four countries have abundance of natural resources but none can lay claim to have used all these resources to benefit the people. Poverty was rampant and independence had not brought in any significant benefits to the people.

But tiny Singapore without any resources at all managed to bring development to its citizens. It had one of the best public MRT transport systems and airlines in the world and it is a very clean city state. Their universities, health care, ports are among the best in the world.

It is impossible to compare what Singapore has achieved to what all these four countries had so far achieved. It was actually poor management and corruption, and nothing more. Everything is done for the vested interest of the few.

Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines and the Sultanate of Brunei need good management teams. They would not be able to do this on their own steam. I would advise that they call on Kuan Yew to show them what good governance is. Why look East to Japan when it is just next door across the causeway.

Malaysiakini Strives for Dialogue

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 04:08:00 +0000

For those of you who missed this ...

Waydago Malaysiakini! Steven Gan and team ... I salute you all.
___________________________________________________

Malaysian News Site Strives for Dialogue

By Kevin Drew
CNN

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (CNN) -- Inside a nondescript building in the gritty Bangsar district of south Kuala Lumpur rests Malaysiakini.com (Malay for "Malaysia Now"), a newspaper covering Malaysia that exists solely in cyberspace.

Its goal, says co-founder Steven Gan, is straightforward: to report on Malaysian political and social issues critically and objectively.

That can be a challenge in Malaysia. The media in the Southeast Asian nation face tough regulations from the government on what can be reported. And with ethnicity and religion as intertwining hot buttons, reporting on social issues in the multicultural nation of Malays, Chinese, Indians and other Asian groups can seem to be a tightrope.

Critical to its success, Gan says, is its reputation for accuracy. Malaysiakini has put itself on Malaysia's journalism map for its credibility and occasionally beating the competition. In 2005 the news organization made international headlines by breaking the news of a mobile phone clip showing a Chinese woman in police detention subjected to a humiliating search procedure.

As Malaysiakini celebrates its eighth birthday this month, Gan recently sat down with CNN and discussed the Web site and practicing journalism in Malaysia.

CNN: What is Malaysiakini.com?

GAN: The reason we set up Malaysiakini is because of the fact that we have tight control of the media in Malaysia. And we saw an opportunity here because of ... a loophole within the system.

We disagree with him [Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi] on a lot of issues, but on the issue of freedom of the Internet, we should give him some credit. He promised not to censor the Internet. He realized that in order to set up the multimedia corridor here ... he would have to offer, among other things, not just tax breaks but the fact that he would not censor the Internet. So, we decided to see whether he would stick to his promise.

They [government officials] were having a difficult time with Malaysiakini. There were a lot of attacks from the mainstream media, which is government controlled, against us. Ministers from time to time would issue statements against Malaysiakini, questioning our credibility, saying that we were pro-opposition and also attacking how we were funded. And eventually it resulted in a raid by the police about two years ago. They took away 19 of our computers.

But we have persevered.

CNN: Why in the English language?

GAN: We started off in English, partly because I'm an English (language) writer. That was a natural way for us to go. A lot of people here (in Malaysia) speak English -- most of Malaysia can understand. But then we realized that to get across to more people, you would also need to have a Chinese as well as a Malay language site. So Malaysiakini right now has four sections: English, Bahasa (Malay), Chinese, and a video section, as well.

CNN: How has Malaysiakini grown from the early days?

GAN: We started out [in 1999] very much as a guerilla outfit in the sense we were only three journalists. That was just before the 1999 general election. Looking back, I never thought we'd manage to survive that period, because three journalists trying to cover an election was just terrible, almost impossible. But even with that we managed to break a few new stories and I think we got noticed.

When we first went live it was just basically collecting e-mails of our friends and just sending them a message saying, 'Hey, we have this new Web site, check it out.' Eventually it went from a few hundred people to a thousand, then 5,000, and now close to about 300,000 readers.

When we first started there were two major questions that we had to answer. One was how to make an impact politically in the sense of how to get readership. Our solution for that was to become a credible source of information.

The other (objective) was that if you want to set up independent media you need to have independent financing. We started off thinking advertising was a possible model. We managed to survive the first year - there was still an Internet boom at that time.

Of course, 2000-2001 was a major Internet crash and people who would normally advertise on Malaysiakini were Internet start-ups. They all disappeared. We really had to find another solution. That was when we decided to switch to a pay model. It was a painful decision. We saw readership drop like a ton of bricks, but we managed to win them back.

CNN: Can you explain the idea behind the Asia 24/7 TV service on Malaysiakini.com?

GAN: The idea is to basically provide a site for independent broadcasters all around Asia. To post their videos and all that. However, I think that maybe that idea was a little ahead of its time. We launched 24/7 about two years back. We didn't manage to get enough content. There's just not enough independent broadcasters out there to sustain it. We are now trying to revamp that idea, but it's still too early to talk about it.

CNN: It's an intriguing idea, because most major news Web sites in North America and Europe are attached to either a print or TV organization, which feeds their sites' content. You tried flipping that model, where the Internet would be the primary carrier, and TV was simply a part of it.

GAN: I think there is no doubt that such a scenario will come. Maybe not now, but maybe in five to 10 years' time. The Internet will be the main medium where people get their content, whether it's text, video, whatever it is. It will not be TV or radio, per se, it will not be print, per se. I think all those elements will still be around, but in a different form. But they (other media) will have to evolve to survive. TV will have to evolve.

The Internet will eventually be the main medium. It will be the dominant medium, because it's able to deal with so many different forms of content in one place.

CNN: What is the level of traffic that Malaysiakini is currently attracting?

GAN: We are getting about 100,000 unique visitors a day. That would put us in the league with some of the major local newspapers out there. We are quite comfortable with what we have achieved. But for Malaysiakini to make another leap would perhaps require the country to have a higher penetration rate when it comes to broadband.

We've been waiting for that for the past few years. Broadband penetration in Malaysia is still pretty low, we're talking about 5 percent. It is partly because of government policy. We have a government that is not too sure whether we should move into that.

CNN: How is the Internet regulated in Malaysia?

GAN: The only difference between the Internet and the so-called traditional media is that to set up a Web site you don't need government approval. You don't need to apply for a license. That is a major distinction, that is the crucial difference.

In a sense we have a little bit more freedom. But in Malaysia, the Internet is not completely free. Because you still have laws out there that directly or indirectly infringe on press freedom, which has been used to check mainstream media and can be used to harass Internet media, as well. Things like being accused of spreading false news, the sedition act, malicious secrets act ... all those laws that exist apply for the Internet, as well.

On the police raid on Malaysiakini, the government used the sedition act, a law that is already in existence. We published a letter from one of our readers that they said was seditious.

I think the idea that the Internet is completely free is hyped up. But then I think there's no doubt the Internet has made an impact and it has been a useful tool. But we recognize that the government still has a lot of control.

CNN: Your Web site is now self-sustaining financially, correct?

GAN: It is self-sustaining. We have subscriptions, side businesses like book publishing. When we went to subscription service we had to develop our own technology, because the technologies for sale were too expensive. We have now perfected our own technology to a point to where we can sell it.

CNN: Tell me a little bit about your staff. Many look young. What is their background?

GAN: Most of the experienced journalists are from the print media. Many started at mainstream newspapers. But the journalists, many are fresh out of university. We decided that it's much easier for us to train them rather than hire people from mainstream media. Because when it comes to reporting, it sometimes is difficult for us to change the mindset of journalists who've been working for years in the mainstream media, coming from a very controlled environment to an environment that is relatively free. They find it very hard to cope with that kind of situation.

CNN: Can you explain that more? How much self-censorship is there in Malaysia?

GAN: Self-censorship is an obsession in the mainstream media. It happens every day. The editors will tell you what to write, what not to write. You get ministers calling up all the time. They issue directives. They sometimes send out letters, telling what the guidelines, what can be written, how it can be written. Sometimes they organize briefings for the editors. That's the kind of censorship you get.

CNN: How is the media world looking at you?

GAN: Internationally, people are interested in our model. Not our content, but our model. Our thinking is that we're not going to compete with mainstream media in sports coverage, for example, because sports is not something you can censor. If a game ends 2-0, it's 2-0, period. You cannot say it's 2-1. We compete in areas that we think we can do better, and that would be political news and social news. We're one of the few news Web sites that is able to survive based on subscriptions.

CNN: What is taboo to report on in Malaysia?

GAN: In Malaysia, religion, race ... those are the two main issues that we would be more careful with. It doesn't mean that we won't do them. In fact, we have a pretty vibrant debate in our discussion forum. I feel like we do need to talk about those issues.

Malaysia is a very complex society. It is multiracial, multilingual, multi-religious ... multi-everything! The problems are so complex that I don't think we should allow the government alone to solve them. It is up to all Malaysians to come together, to come up with a solution. And to do that, they will need to keep talking to each other. We are providing that forum.

I think Malaysiakini will be one of the very few news media in Malaysia that cuts across racial and religious backgrounds in a fair-minded manner, in an unemotional manner. In a way that they are all looking for solutions. In a manner where sometimes we have to agree to disagree. I think that's important. You cannot make compromises if you do not know how the other side feels.

CNN: Was there a moment when you realized Malaysiakini would work?

GAN: I don't think there has been any moment (laughs). I think we're still struggling, even today. I don't think we are successful yet. We're not making a hell of a lot of money. We're definitely not in debt, which is a good thing. We're getting there, but we're definitely not like Google.

We still need to ensure that we continue to come up with content that will appeal to Malaysians to the point where they are willing to pay for our content. Somehow we need to get through to advertisers out there. They're still not coming around, because they're scared. Because in Malaysia, politics and business are closely linked.

I'm happy we've managed to survive in a relatively unscathed manner. But I don't think we're at a point where we can say we made it.

CNN: Where do you see Malaysiakini in five-10 years?

GAN: It's really hard to say. If the broadband penetration is high enough - up to 60 percent, 70 percent -- than I would say our future would be very bright. But we'll have to wait for that to happen. It will take some years to go. It's inevitable.

I think we're already successful in terms of making an impact. But we aim to be successful financially. Making money is not really what we're in here for, I think. Our aim here is to play a role in the democratization process in Malaysia, and that's always been our major aim.

CNN: One last question. What does it mean to be Malaysian?

GAN: I don't think you can get just one answer. In Malaysia the issues of race and religion are so overwhelming that if you ask a Malay Muslim you'll get one answer. If you ask a non-Muslim person such as Chinese, you'll get a different answer.

I'd like to see the issues of race and religion not be the dominant criteria when it comes to how we live as Malaysians. I hope that I will see that day.

I want Malaysiakini to play a role in bringing Malaysians together and to talk and keep talking. I think problems will start if they aren't talking. What is important for Malaysiakini is to get them to keep talking to each other, which is something you don't see in the mainstream media.

I'd love to see the day when Malaysia would not think about race and religion whatsoever. It would be like elsewhere, where religion and race just happen to be in the background. It won't be a major criteria when it comes to applying for licenses, applying for scholarships, whatever.

But it's still a long way to go.

Driven by Pride and Greed

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 04:45:00 +0000

Aerial view of TARRC in Brickendonbury, England

The following is an excerpt from Tun Telanai's blog:

"Ajaran Islam sebenar, haram dan berdosa besar sekiranya sesorang pemimpin itu melahap harta rakyat, membazir wang rakyat sesuka hati dan melaksanakan sistem pembahagian kekayaan negara secara tidak adil. Golongan tertentu sahaja mendapat keistemewaan [golongan Umnoputra], manakala golongan lain diketepikan. Pemimpin juga dilarang oleh Islam sebenar mengadaikan amanah yang diberikan oleh rakyat. Pemimpin tidak boleh amalkan rasuah, mengunakan kedudukan mencari kekayaan peribadi dan menjaga periuk nasi keluarga dan kroni sahaja, pemimpin perlu jaga kebajikan [periuk nasi] rakyat yang dipimpin tanpa memilih bangsa dan agama serta warna kulit ...."

The translation:

"In the true teachings of Islam, it is illegal and sinful if a leader squanders the people's assets away, wantonly wastes taxpayers' money and practises an unfair system of the distribution of national wealth. [In Malaysia] only a certain group gets preferential treatment [the Umnoputra group], while the rest of the people are sidelined. In true Islam, a leader is prohibited from breaking the trust that was given him by the people [who voted him into office]. A leader is a person who is free from corruption and does not abuse his position for personal gains. He must, at all times, put the welfare of the people regardless of race, relligion or creed as well as skin colour, before his own ...."

Now, if Tun Telanai is right, something is seriously wrong with Malaysia's ruling party ... UMNO. Its leaders shout and scream, froth even, about their commitment to championing the rights and privileges of the Malay people. But how is this possible when a big chunk of the Malay populace (in the Malay heartland of Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu) still wallow in the poverty quagmire? How is this possible when the beneficiary of the nation's wealth are the cronies of the ruling party?

The present batch of Malaysia's leaders (many of whom have absolutely no or little leadership qualities, much less brains), many of whom professed to be Muslims, are the ones that are wantonly wasting taxpayers' money on a daily basis (the Angkasawan programme and the high performance training centre (HPTC) project in Brickendonbury, England are standout examples). They have absolutely no regard for the sanctity of fairness, decency and honesty. They run the country like a police state, they allow the corrupt and the criminal to walk free, they taint the judiciary, they rig elections to win, they deny the people of their constitutional rights, they quash the people's right to assemble (see Malaysiakini stories on the BERSIH march), they treat dissension with utter disdain, they insult the weak and the fairer sex with glee, they silence free speech, they instill fear (with archaic laws like the Sedition Act, the ISA and the OSA) and they abuse their power for personal gains (by continuously insisting that the out-of-date and totally irrelevant New Economic Policy is still needed in today's socio-economic environment). In short, they are continuously driven by pride and greed.

Wow ... what is list! There's plenty more, but I won't bother you with it. I am just glad that some divine justice has been dispensed recently. The National Sports Council�??s (NSC) plans to set up a HPTC and use it as a forward base for Malaysian athletes outside London were rejected by the East Herts Council which labeled it as an �??inappropriate development within a green belt.�?? Our so-called leaders may not understand this line because they are so used to cutting trees down and destroying the environment without a second thought.

The other reasons for the decision was that the project was too large for a contingent that only has 26 athletes at the Athens Olymlics, while a FIFA-standard football pitch which requires elaborate fencing and intrusive floodlighting is unreasonable for a country that has only played once in an Olympic football tournament and never made it to the World Cup.

Should be an eye-opener for the Minister of Youth and Sports.

But do you think she will learn from this whole saga? I think not. You see ... despite strong public objections to the project earlier, she still went ahead with it; only scaling the amount spent down. But that's still taxpayers' money. And she does not have the right to blatantly spend it whichever way she likes. There must be accountability. Yes, accountability! Or is that not in her vocabulary?

The NSC's director-general, Ramlan Abdul Aziz is still hopeful. He said if Malaysia submitted a fresh application with more specific plan on the restoration of the existing building and the green belt of the 16-hectre Tun Abdul Razak Rubber Research Centre (TARRC), the East Herts Council Development Control Committee might reconsider their decision. "It's up to my boss, (the Youth and Sports Minister). If she says okay, we'll submit a fresh application. But whatever it is, we'll submit the report first to the Cabinet Committee on Sports headed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and wait for their guidance," he was quoted as saying in a news report by The Sun.

" ... wait for their guidance?" What crap is this Ramlan talking about? I don't think the DPM has any credibility to 'guide' Malaysians in this case. If it was for the interest of the country, he should have the decency to call the whole project off from the very start. The deterioration of sports in this country should be addressed first before any lofty ideas involving millions, billions even, of taxpayers' money is looked at. Address the problems of corruption, indiscipline, discriminatory policies in selection, and the involvement of non-sport clowns in our sports first. Get our act together first. Then when, we have achieve a certain standard in world performance can we start looking at the HPTCs.

Until then, it would be wise to stick to the basics.

To Pray or Not to Pray ... in Space

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 01:20:00 +0000

I received an anonymous comment yesterday to an earlier posting on the Angkasawan programme which sounded something to this effect: "Stop being an intolerant idiot and a religious racist you stupid ass!" The unedited version of the comment was: "Stop being some intolerant idiot religion racist you stupid a**!!"

Much as Anonymous is irate over my comments on the programme, I believe he is missing the point. The truth from the very beginning, even if it was unstated, was a Malay candidate must be the chosen one. Whether he agrees with me or not is irrelevant. The whole country seems to know this fact. And yet Anonymous choose to ignore it. So who has been racist from the very start? The UMNO-led government. Read Helen Ang's interview with Kee Thuan Chye in Malaysiakini to find out for yourself. I'm not a racist. And I'm not an intolerant idiot. But for anyone to live in this country for so long and survived, one has got to be quite a tolerant fellow. Otherwise, it would be hard to keep one's sanity.

But as things are, I'm getting more and more intolerant of the abuses the UMNO-led government is doing to this beloved country of mine. I'm intolerant when there is no accountability from my so-called leaders. I'm intolerant of the discriminatory practises that are being dished out to its citizenry. I'm intolerant when the last bastion of justice in a democracy is tainted. I'm intolerant when the perpetrators of these crimes walk free without even being prosecuted. I'm intolerant when we have ministers and members of Parliament who made an ass of themselves in public. I'm intolerant when we have racists and sexists in Parliament. I'm intolerant of the fact that the national coffers are perpetually raided by corrupt leaders and government officials to serve their selfish interests and greed. The Angkasawan programme is one such abuse. I will not go into the details here. You can check out my previous postings on the subject on this blog.

As for being a religious bigot (I'm paraphrasing Anonymous), I must say I'm not one either. Why? I've always believed in the freedom to practise one's beliefs and religion. But I'm intolerant when the state attempts to impose the official religion on its citizenry (and in doing so, violate our Constitutional right). The Lina Joy case is one good example. I'm intolerant when the state tears/demolishes the places of worship of other religions. The case in point: the recent tearing down of Hindu temples. And I have a problem when some people in a state-funded religious agency attempt to impose on what the Angkasawan can and cannot do in space in terms of his religious obligations. That seemed to be the focus of our recent space tourist's mission, isn't it? I have a question: how did these people in a state-funded religious agency know what to do and how to behave when they themselves have not been to space? Also what happened to the experiments that we carried out it space by the Angkasawan? How come nothing was reported in the media on this?

I may be cynical in my earlier posting entitled "It's Still A Joke, Right?" when I said, "And we are talking about exploring the final frontier? Contributing to medical and scientific breakthroughs? And a 'Yang Bodoh' (YB) from Pengkalan Chepa can ask the YB from Jerai if our astronaut will be praying in space? Sure ... I have a hunch his Russian colleagues will make sure he hears the 'azan' permeating through space to remind him of his obligations and may be wish him 'Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri' as well."

But listen to what Dr Wan Azhar Wan Ahmad, senior fellow/director of IKIM's Centre for Syariah, Law and Political Science, has to say in his column in The Star (November 20, 2007, p. N46).

"The question of �??fixed prayer time�?? is only relevant to our lives on Earth," Wan Azhar said. "If we are no longer on Earth, then the question of prayer times no longer becomes relevant.

" ... Now we have successfully launched our first Malaysian �?? a Muslim �?? to outer space. Proud of the achievement, I was and still am amazed to learn that this Muslim traveller was made to assume that prayers throughout his 10-day stay hundreds of kilometres above the Earth was obligatory!

"What was even more amazing," Wan Azhar pointed out, "was a special manual for his extra-terrestrial journey had been prepared. All this may have given the impression that the religion of Islam is rigid, uncompassionate and coercive in nature. The reality, however, is quite the opposite.

"I still hold firm to what I taught my students a few years ago. If the requirement for prayer is relaxed for long distance journeys on airlines, what more a journey to space! Make no mistake; I am not to be classified as a liberal, conservative, extremist, secularist and such.

"According to the Quran: �??Verily prayers are enjoined on Believers at fixed times�?? (al-Nisa�??, 4: 103). The key-term here is the phrase �??fixed time�?? (Arabic: kitaban mauquta). Indeed, Muslims are duty bound to pray five times a day at specific durations.

" ... Many seem ignorant of the fact that the question of �??fixed time�?? is only relevant to our lives on Earth. If we are no longer on Earth, then the question of prayer times becomes no longer relevant. The question of time in relation to prayer is only relative to man on Earth. In space however, since man is no longer on Earth, time in relation to prayer does not apply.

"The revolution of the Earth upon its axis relative to the Sun excludes man, for which prayer is obligatory. Man in space is not travelling at the same speed as is the revolution of the Earth along its axis.

"Religious duties are very much associated with one�??s location. If one were to travel from one place to another, his/her religious obligations are performed relative to the peculiarities of his/her new destination the moment he/she reaches that place.

"If a Malaysian Muslim usually performs his prayers relative to the time in Malaysia, he/she must abandon this practice once he crosses the border to Thailand as the times are no longer relative to Malaysia. It is absurd to insist on praying according to the time in Kuala Lumpur while being physically in Bangkok.

"Therefore, it is absurd to argue that a spaceman may apply the time of his place of departure in order for him to carry out obligatory religious duties in a place not relative to Earth.

"Why do the Muslims of today feel the need to complicate matters when Islam is easy and simple?"

So Anonymous ... get your facts straight.

Presenting ... the Gobloks

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 07:33:00 +0000

First it was the minister. Now his deputy, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, is following in his footsteps. Oh Malaysia! When will you, my sweet land of liberty, be free from these 'gobloks'?

In Parliamnet today (according to a Malaysiakini news report), Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, or Mat Goblok as I would call him, said: "... This is because demonstrations are very undemocratic and could ruin our country's image and drive away foreign investors" when asked how the Ministry of Information would deal with the foreign Press (and more specifically Al-Jazeera) for reporting on the 10/11 Bersih march.

Demonstrations are undemocratic? Has Mat Goblok got his facts straight? What is the democratic way to deal with the government when it is not hearing the cries of the rakyat? What is the democratic way to deal with the government when the police decides not to give you a permit to peacefully gather? How is it democratic to deny the rakyat a permit to peacefully gather? Oh ... Mat Goblok ... this is precisely when the rakyat has to do what the rakyat has to do. To petition the King to kick people like you and your bosses out of government before it is too late.

Your immediate boss, Zam Goblok (Zainuddin Maidin) had described the Al-Jazeera coverage as unfair and confusing to people living overseas. Instead of pointing fingers at others, your ministry should look at your own coverage of the gathering. I am pretty sure Malaysia's mainstream newspapers and other media houses were instructed to give low priority to this piece of news even though it may turn out as one of the most pivotal event in this nation's history.

RTM, as DAP's Lim Kit Siang has correctly put it, is guilty of not reporting the facts. Is that what you all in government would term as responsible journalism? Also stop saying that Al-Jazeera had conspired with the opposition. The opposition may be a component of Bersih, but they are only a small minority. So are you saying Al-Jazeera has conspired with the rakyat? Could it also be RTM and the other local media houses had conspired with Barisan Nasional to report negatively? There are always two sides to a coin. At this point, I am not persuaded to believe your side of the story. The government in this case, has misinformed the people!

And for those who have not see this ... and if you are a Malaysian ... like me, you will be throwing up when you get a clown (or more like crap) like this fella representing you in government. And as a former journalist, a senior editor at that, Malaysia's Information Minister is a total disgrace. Check out his interview with Al-Jazeera below. Speaks like a village thug, totally idiotic in behaviour, and a sorry sight to behold ...

Full transcript of the interview with Al-Jazeera by Kennysia.com

Watch the brouhaha here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1_GQ-K7P_w
___________________________________________________

Minister: I commend yo-yo-your journalists trying to project... to exaggerate more than what actually happened. That-that-that-that's it. We are not the-the and I-I congratulate your journalists behaving like an actor, that-that's it...

Reporter: As you say that, sir, we're watching scenes of protesters being sprayed by chemical-filled water!

Minister: YA! I am watching! I'm here! You've been trying... trying to do it this - to do this everywhere but in Malaysia people are allowed to, you know? We know our police head our colleague... Police have whatever allowed the procession to go to the Istana Negara, you know? Do police, first police, like, they handle them, they attack them, they... the police don't, don't, don't fire anybody?

Reporter: Our correspondent came back to the office, sir, with chemicals in his eyes!

Minister:You-you-you-you are here with the idea, you are trying to project, what is your mind! You think that we Pakistan, we are Burma, we are Myanmar. Everything you-you are thinking! WE ARE DIFFERENT! We are totally different!

Reporter: Well unfortunately when you refuse to let people protest, it does appear so.

Minister: Ya ya we are not like you! You-you have earlier perception, you come here, you want to project us like undemocratic country. This a democratic country!

Reporter: So why can't people protest then, if it's a democratic country?

Minister: YES, PEOPLE PROTEST! People do-do... of course they protest. We are allowing them protest, and they have demonstrated. But we just trying to disperse them, and then later they-they-they don't wanna disperse, but later our police compromise. They have compromised and allowed them to proceed to Istana Negara! Police, our police have succeeded in handling them gently, right? Why do you report that? You take the opposition, someone from opposition party you ask him to speak. You don't take from the government, right?

Reporter: Why did you not break up these protests...

Minister: Pardon? Pardon? Pardon?

Reporter: Why did you not break up these protests more peacefully?

Minister: I can't hear you! I can't hear you!

Reporter: Why did you not break up these protests more peacefully?

Minister: No we-we are! We... this protest is illegal! We don't want..this... the... NORMALLY...

Reporter: OK, so let me return to my former question. Why is this protest illegal?

Minister: YA! It's a illegal protest because we have the erection in Malaysia. It's no-no point on having a protest! We are allowing to every erection... every five years never fail! We are not our like, like Myanmar, not like other country. And, and you are helping this. You Al-Jazeera also is helping this, this forces. The, you know, these forces who are not in passion, who don't believe in democracy!

Reporter: Alright, many thanks for joining us.

Minister: I don't, ya, you, Al-Jazeera, this is, is Al-Jazeera attitude. Right?

What is an Islamic Car?

noreply@blogger.com (The Watchman) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:31:00 +0000

As if Proton is not already in deep financial woes (it has been trying to kickstart its export market as it attempts to halt a sharp decline in domestic market share and stem a series of losses - attributed to a lack of new models and a reputation for poor quality), the national automaker's managing director Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir recently said (in an AFP news report in Malaysiakini) Malaysia, Iran and Turkey plan to build an "Islamic car" fitted with a compass to find the direction of Mecca, and a compartment to keep the Quran and prayer scarves in.

Huh? What in the world is an Islamic car? Just because it has a compass to find the direction of Mecca, and a compartment to keep the Quran in makes it an Islamic car? Is it because it is an Iranian initiative? Oh no! That does not make Proton look very bright is it? And listen to the audacious claim: the 'Islamic' vehicle would be aimed at the global export market, Syed Zainal Abidin told reporters. The automaker's chief is obviously a man who has no accountability. More taxpayers' money will be poured into this pointless and stupid venture. Does he seriously think a venture with a stupidity of this magnitude is going to help ease Proton's financial woes? Does he actually think it is strategic from a business perspective? Has research been done on its viability? Is there a big demand on the global market for an 'Islamic' car?

Why is Proton so caught up with things Islamic? I thought it is a Malaysian automaker. If it is what it says it is, then why focus on an Islamic car and not a Malaysian car? Why introduce religion into automaking?

But seriously ... what is an 'Islamic' car? What will make it Islamic? 'Halal'/kosher parts for the car? A high percentage of 'halal' content in the car? Oh apologies ... I think it should be totally 'halal' content for the car. Otherwise, the Muslims the world over would not buy it will be partially tainted. You need to be completely kosher.

If such is the case, then all Muslim Proton car owners in Malaysia have sinned because the cars they are currently driving is not an 'Islamic' car, and therefore, are not 'halal.' Oh no ....

And sure, an announcement like this will surely cause potential Proton suitors to pay attention to the automaker's incredible intelligence and farsightedness. Aarrrrgh! How stupid can these people be? Now Volkswagen would surely sign the deal to partner Proton right? You be the judge.

Want to have Islamic features in the car? Simple ... paint the car with Islamic green, go to a car accessories shop to install these features (a compass to find the direction of Mecca, and a compartment to keep the Quran and prayer scarves) and 'Viola,' you have an 'Islamic' car - cheaply and easily. No need to use an existing model or worse still ... spend huge amounts of money to create a new model to do this. No need to waste taxpayers' money on a car model that will not sell.

Volkswagen ... take note.