Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- PAS gets my vote
- Quarry Collapse
- Has The Star paper became too arrogant??
- The Choices Before Us - Emigration, Encampment or Engagement
- 'Settlement' of Nazri's son's case is illegal & perverts the course of justice
- A challenge to civilization: the ‘private’ on ‘public’ domain of human thought and feelings
| Posted: 22 Oct 2012 01:11 PM PDT
Instead of suggesting something constructive, the MCA, in election gear, decides to embark on a fear-mongering campaign. May Chee I think every kampong or neighbourhood has this one person whom you see at the warung or food-stall during mealtimes. He kind-of holds court, speaks rather loud and in a condescending tone. If you stay long enough, you will also notice that he never pays for his food. It's as if he needs to speak the way he does to earn his keep. I think you call that "free-loading"? All this "hate" speech lately by the MCA against PAS, hudud, and about my favourite Mursyidul Am, Nik Aziz instigating rape of non-Muslim women borders on being just that – "free-loading". Rehashing news from 2008 just goes to show how bankrupt MCA has become. To go back in time when you should move forward – to create, innovate, progress, anything but backslide and with such malice, too. It beggars belief! Instead of suggesting something constructive, the MCA, in election gear, decides to embark on a fear-mongering campaign. Goodness, a dearth of brains in the MCA-ah? Are the people in MCA even serious about wanting to represent our interests in Parliament? Aiyoh, how-lah? How can we trust such bird-brains to fight for us? Sure lose, hands-down! Despite what a fumbling imbecile of a minister may say, Karpal Singh, another towering Malaysian has reminded us not too long ago that in 1988, former Lord President of the Federal (later, Supreme) Court of Malaysia ruled that the country was governed by secular law which meant Malaysia was a secular state. Is that not clear enough? Come on MCA, we are not morons. We know you for what you are. Among the feather-brain schemes, initially the 1Care and now, the latest being the AES, you are in cahoots with the plunderers to rob us, Malaysians, blind! How lofty can you people in the MCA get? Are you not touching base with the ordinary rakyat? How on earth can we afford to enrich you and your cronies any further? To feed your avaricious appetite for money and power? Have you not seen how the poor are getting poorer and the ordinary Malaysian is finding it hard to get by? And you people still think that it is only a perception that the crime rate has skyrocketed? Are you people in the MCA living in denial or what? By the time you wake up, the rest of us Malaysians have crossed over to the other shore while you stay behind, stranded! Worse still, you'll be drowned! PAS president, Abdul Hadi Awang, himself had reiterated last year, that the Quran did not provide for an Islamic state but a welfare state. That's not a bad thing. Shouldn't that be every leader's responsibility, to see to the welfare of the state? What do we have in the MCA? Now and then, fighting for scraps that fall off the banquet table? Even Lazarus had better! Are you anyone's equal, MCA? 1Malaysia, what's that? A miserable handful of scholarships for some students and that too, debatable about whom they go to. I've heard stories about how some people obtained their scholarships. You are a farce, MCA, you really are! We have real problems here, in Malaysia. For instance, we need to do something real quick about our mounting debts. It's definitely not a perception that we live in fear. My daughter was almost "mishandled" by someone in a car-park in one of the shopping centres in KL recently. Thank God she had a friend with her and a gentleman who parked his car on the same level. I cannot wait to pack her off to where she can be safer. Our education system is in shambles. My nephew who has been placed first in class since he started Standard 1 told my sister that he needed Physics tuition because his teacher has not taught since the beginning of this year. All she does is to ask the students to refer to some bright sparks in class. I don't want to foam at the mouth, as RPK would say. But honestly, MCA, are you aware of the problems we, the people whom you profess to represent, have? Doubt fear-mongering, using PAS as your punching bag, is the quick-fix we need. Get real, MCA or ship out! To me, the MCA has apparently isolated itself from the misfortunes of the ordinary rakyat, and day after day, wastes the opportunity to help them. Yes, it's an opportunity to be of service to others, for the last shall be first and the first, last. I don't see any effort coming from the people in MCA that promote human dignity nor do I see any of them participating actively in the building of the future of this nation. But I do see how hastily these same people wanted to implement the AES. I see a loathing self-interest to enrich their own coffers and a lack of courage in standing up to their "sleeping partners". Or is it a case of "you scratch my back, I scratch yours"; acting like opportunists whose deeds do not match the responsibilities that they are entrusted with. Coming from the Malacca hometown of Tun Tan Siew Sin, I shudder to think that the MCA of today has all but lost its original identity and mission. I see a leadership whose intuition is bogged down by corruption, cronyism and cowardice. And for that, the MCA is already deemed irrelevant and will have no further impact on our Malaysian history. I believe many past and present leaders of the MCA realize that they are no longer respected by the majority of Malaysians, not even those they "sleep" with. Yet, MCA, you are not purging yourselves to merit this respect. Sad, no? Aren't you made of sterner stuff? Your forefathers crossed oceans, with nothing more than the shirts on their backs, to seek a fortune for themselves. Even the cousins they left behind in Thong San are doing really well. As national leaders, those of you in the MCA should open your eyes to the evils that afflict the nation. You should know by now that injustices will be paid for dearly or are you still fooling yourselves that you can get away with it? We need progressive leaders who can champion unity, not those who still engage in the stone-aged tactics of divide-and-rule. That's not Malaysian. We have to discover a new meaning in the Malaysian way of living. For that, we have to leave behind an existence where we live alienated lives from one another. That's no more Malaysian. We need each other to mature as a true, progressive people. Things will work out better for us if we share our responsibilities. That's Malaysian. Having a stranglehold on the economy and perhaps, leaving entire classes of people in poverty is no more acceptable. It shall not be Malaysian.The devil is not out there, MCA. It's not PAS and it's not the DAP. It's within you. Be afraid, MCA, be very afraid. I'm not alone here when I, a Catholic and a Chinese woman say, "PAS gets my vote, any day!" God bless, especially Mursyidul Am, Nik Aziz and please forgive MCA's insolence. Thank you. |
| Posted: 21 Oct 2012 02:17 PM PDT uQw2jNYiBvA Or watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQw2jNYiBvA Raymond Tan This tragedy was covered-up by the authorities. The footage was taken by a villager on a scooter while later being chased by the securities/gangsters as the vicinity was heavily guarded to avoid being exposed. The quarry collapsed in March early this year, it happened late at night, hence when the water gulped the quarry, the entire vicinity submerged while the labourers were still in their beds. Machineries and squatters are all hundreds of meters below. However, this tragedy was covered-up by the state authorities fearing besides having to deal with the legality of the ownership of the so-called quarry, they are also answerable to the foreign embassy having employed Indonesians. Once again, thank you for your kind attention. |
| Has The Star paper became too arrogant?? Posted: 21 Oct 2012 02:07 PM PDT
The Star (after dictating what the readers should read) also wants to dictate what we should watch! The Masked Reader Fresh from proudly claiming itself to be the No 1 newspaper in Malaysia, the paper stopped publishing the local TV stations daily programs recently. Instead, this paper chose to publish the Astro channel 728 daily programs in the same page, and suggested to the readers "what to watch" programs on local tv stations and or course, Astro. Is The Star paper indirectly suggesting that we should suscribe to pay tv, and deem the readers who don't as not important to them? Maybe The Star has grown proud of its status as Malaysia's No 1 paper, and forgotten it's loyal readers who supported it all these years. Most of the rakyat don't suscribe to pay-tv, either due to financial constraints, lack of time or frustrated by the often repeated programs, and the increase in fees. We are fine with the local tv stations. But now its seems that The Star (after dictating what the readers should read) also wants to dictate what we should watch! The Star should remember that, like Proton, Perodua (who divided the small and medium cc engine market between themslves) and Astro, they are NO 1 because there isn't much choice for the rakyat to choose to begin with. People HAVE to buy The Star if they want to check out the latest property ad launches, movie listings, etc. There is hardly any such ad in the competing English newspapers. Therefore, most advertisers themselves have little choice but to advertise in The Star. Maybe The Star should change it's tagline from "The People's Paper" to "The Arrogant Paper". |
| The Choices Before Us - Emigration, Encampment or Engagement Posted: 19 Oct 2012 11:37 AM PDT
Maybe you are also one of those people who are re-considering your future with Malaysia, or at least the thought has crossed your mind. The way I look at it, we have three choices before us. Thomas Fann I had an interesting conversation with a friend this week about some of the choices made by people we know. Over dinner, my friend related to me about his brother who had worked and lived in France for many years, and how he had decided to return to Malaysia for his retirement only to find out that his citizenship has been revoked. He tried to appeal to the government but was turned down and he returned to France dejected. He also related about his sister's family who also wanted to return but, after coming back for a holiday and looking over the socio-political environment and inequality here, changed their mind. My friend further told me that many people he knows are making plans to emigrate to Singapore or Australia. It was a dinner conversation that left me with a heavy heart because I know that these are not isolated stories but all too common and true, attested to by statistics. For more numbers on immigrants and emigrants, Tindak Malaysia has done the homework for us and you can read about it here. An unnecessary tragedy The economic and social impact from the loss of these citizens are hard to quantify empirically but it would be colossal in the long-term. We are not talking here just about the funds that would flow out with them but also with it their talents. Remember, most are migrating to countries like Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, etc, where migration criteria are stringent. In short, they would only accept the highly educated, most talented or wealthier from us. It is a tragedy made worse because it shouldn't be. In my humble opinion, Malaysia is still one of the best countries to live in. Geographically, we are strategically located in one of the main shipping lanes of the world. Almost all our lands are fertile and arable. We are blessed with an abundance of both renewable and non-renewable natural resources. Our climate, though a little humid, is mostly stable and comfortable and relatively free from natural disasters like earthquakes, typhoons and floods that plague our neighbours regularly. But all these endowments are pale in comparison to our greatest asset, our human resource. As a melting pot, with people from some of earth's greatest civilizations here, we have all the right ingredients to forge a great people and make an impact on human history. But the cooks who are entrusted with cooking this great stew have messed it up for us big time. We have messed it up and people are leaving. Maybe you are also one of those people who are re-considering your future with Malaysia, or at least the thought has crossed your mind. The way I look at it, we have three choices before us. Emigration According to a World Bank Economic Monitor report in 2011, there are more than one million Malaysians living abroad and Singapore absorbed almost 57 per cent or 570,000 of these. Ethnically these are mostly Chinese, though not exclusively. The reasons cited are poor governance and lack of meritocracy issues. In short, they don't see a future for themselves and their children to remain here and our loss is their gain. Some of our brightest are holding high office in Singapore and around the world. Recognising this loss, the government initiated a programme called Talent Corp to attract back those who have left by offering them various incentives to come back. According to Talent Corp's CEO, Johan Mahmood Merican, the greater significance is that 200,000 of the one million Malaysians overseas are tertiary-educated. Since there are about two million tertiary-educated Malaysians in the workforce here, that means one in ten of Malaysians who would otherwise be contributing to Malaysia are living abroad. Johan said, "And it warrants attention because we need this qualified and experienced group for our economic transformation." According to Talent Corp's press release this year, a total of 1,192 Returning Expert Programme applications were approved since its inception 18 months ago. While commendable, it is still a paltry number compared to the 200,000 who are still not returning. Further, in 2010, Deputy Foreign Minister Senator A. Kohilan Pillay reported that 304,358 Malaysians had migrated from March 2008 till August 2009 compared with 139,696 Malaysians in 2007. The fact remains that until we address the root causes for people to want to migrate away, the efforts of Talent Corp would gain little traction and the brain drain would continue to our detriment as a nation. Encampment Another option we have if we are not planning to emigrate is to adopt an "encampment mentality". We say to ourselves, "Why bother with what's going on in this country? As long as my family and I are alright, that is all that matters." Perhaps this choice is the one chosen by most Malaysians today and who can blame them? After all, don't we all want a good life for ourselves, free of hassle and concerns? We see inequalities, lack of opportunities and poor governance as road bumps or potholes on the road of life which we would try our best to circumnavigate by being tolerant, closing one eye and resigning to it. Life becomes bearable when we have such qualities and we can manage our blood pressure better by it. We encamp around what we are comfortable with ― social circles that share our language, values, religion and cultures. We build for ourselves nice little "ghettoes" in our nation, where we feel at home with our own kind. Today as we move around in our cities, we see such "ghettoes" where one would be forgiven, if you are an "outsider" you would feel like you have walked into a foreign land. The Chinese have sections of cities and even whole towns where the Chinese culture and language are predominant. Indians have their communities in every cities and towns as do the Malays and the other groups. Actually I hate to use such racial terms to describe ourselves but the fact is, we still see ourselves through such lenses. The encampment is not confined to racial lines but also to social and faith-based lines. The English-speaking, well-to-do crowd from all races get together in their country clubs, the Christians in their own church communities, the Sikhs around their gurdwaras, Muslims in their mosques, Indians in their temples and the poor in their inner city slums. From a human social behaviour angle, the choice to encamp around what we are comfortable with is an instinctive one especially when one feels threatened and vulnerable. Herding together with our own kind gives us a sense of identity and strength, making life bearable and even enjoyable. But this option not only doesn't deal with the larger problem that exists, it adds to the problem in at least two ways. Firstly, the problem of poor governance, corruption, injustices and inequalities remain and the people who profit from it continue to have a free rein perpetuating it. In their hearts (if they have one), they would say, "Please stay in your ghettoes, your churches, your temples, your country clubs, your kampungs and new villages, while we continue to plunder!" Secondly, our ghettoes are a powder keg ready to explode one day. We grow farther and further from each other, pursuing our own cultures, languages and religions. We have become strangers to each other and one day we will see each other as enemies. When the time comes, the same politicians who kept us apart will incite us to fight each other. It will happen, it's just a matter when, not if. We do not want to see an Arab Spring in our beautiful country, where the people are so desperate that they would be prepared to die for a morsel of freedom. And die they did. Will one day my children or grandchildren be as desperate as those Egyptians because of my choice to do nothing now? Engagement There is another choice we can make and that is to actively engage the political process. There are people who say, "I am not interested in politics, it is not my cup of tea." Strange thing is, politics affect your daily life and the cup of tea you are drinking. Instead of saying, "I am interested in politics", I'd rather say, "I am interested in decisions made by politicians that would affect my well-being and that of my children." How can we sit idly by while people elected by and paid by us are passing laws that curtail our freedom and future prospects? Engagement or having a say in our future is not limited to voting in the general elections but it can happen on a daily basis. Some of the ways we can engage the political process are: • Being well-informed of what politicians, government agencies and city councils are doing and whether they are doing their appointed jobs. • Highlighting issues, provide constructive suggestions and feedbacks. • If nothing is done and we are suffering the consequences of failures, we can take the matter further by going to the press, organising petitions, and even protestations. • Report to the relevant authorities any wrongdoings like corruption and abuse of power by government officials. • Supplement and complement the work of government by volunteering for social works like caring for the aged and handicapped, doing new voters registration and serving as polling agents on polling day. • Working together with lawmakers to craft laws that are consistent with the Federal Constitution and that address certain shortcomings in our society. Just be aware that because they are YBs, they would know everything, they still need us. UndiMsia has come out with a book called "Activating Malaysians: The D-I-Y Toolkit", which would be very helpful to Malaysians who choose engagement rather than emigration or encampment. You can read a review of the book here. Conclusion English writer Gilbert K. Chesterton said, "You cannot love a thing without wanting to fight for it." All of us have the freedom to choose between emigration, encampment or engagement when it comes to our future in this nation. As for me and my household, we have chosen to stay and engage as much as we can with the political process as citizens because we know selfishly, that it would affect our lives. Or maybe as Chesterton suggested, it is because we love this country and consider it our home and not just a guesthouse that we can stay or leave depending on the services we are getting. Thomas Fann blogs at newmalaysia.org |
| 'Settlement' of Nazri's son's case is illegal & perverts the course of justice Posted: 18 Oct 2012 12:59 PM PDT  If a crime is committed, the perpertrator must be brought to court and duly charged. Under our legal system, crimes cannot be 'amicably settled'. N. Surendran, VP Keadilan I refer to the Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein Onn's statement in the Dewan Rakyat on 18.10.12 that the assault case involving the son of Minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz had been 'amicably resolved'. This statement shows blatant disregard by Hishamuddin for the due process of law and the integrity of our criminal justice system. It is unprecedented for the Home Minister to personally approve of such 'amicable settlements', which are against public policy and the rule of law. If a crime is committed, the perpertrator must be brought to court and duly charged. Under our legal system, crimes cannot be 'amicably settled'. Such a 'settlement ' could amount to an offence under section 214 of the Penal Code. By approving of the 'settlement', Hishamuddin may have abetted and connived in an illegal act. Was the investigation compromised simply because the case involves the son of a senior Umno minister? Further, what are the terms of this illegal settlement and did the settlement involve the police, Nazri Aziz or Hishamuddin? The public is entitled to know if the course of justice was perverted in this case. Most importantly, what was the outcome of the investigation upon Mohamed Nedim Nazri under section 160 of the Penal Code? While admitting that the matter was investigated, Hishamuddin deliberately does not say whether Nedim was cleared of the offence. Every citizen, no matter how high or low their social position, is equal before the eyes of the law; the security guard in this case has a right to fair and impartial justice. We call upon the Home Minister to make a full and frank disclosure of the real facts of the case and to re-open the investigation into this assault case. |
| A challenge to civilization: the ‘private’ on ‘public’ domain of human thought and feelings Posted: 18 Oct 2012 12:54 PM PDT
We have arrived on to a new space and time where what is private is challenged on the public sphere and what is public is accessed on a private space and time. It is an emerging experience of humanity's freedom and choice. Terracotta The on-going saga pertaining to the Alvin and Vivian sexually explicit debut on the social and new media is sending majority Malaysians scurrying to new heights and lows of arguments for and against the duo's act, respectively. This episode is of significant interest in the wake of the Malaysian political crossroads that the country has locked itself into currently. It is equally timely given the Prime Minister's recent indication that governments must control the society's thinking in order for achieving progress. Indeed, the Internet has become a defining medium insofar as civilization rates. Through the Internet and its many 'new age' features like Facebook, Twitter, etc. humanity is being challenged out in the open yet within the confines of our own private spaces – be it at home or at work or even at public places like cafes and WiFi outlets. The debates for and against Vivian and Alvin is raging. It will certainly not find a confluence. But we need to reflect seriously about how the networked society is emerging and will eventually set the parameters within which humanity will be operating. A defining benchmark we should not miss is the fact that this new age technology that forces our thoughts and feelings into the public domain called society still keeps our privacy intact as the access to these 'YouTube, Facebook, Twitter' mediums is strictly exercised out of absolute freedom and choice, sourced within our own private space and time and decision or choice. If people google, source and read or view such sites like what the Alvin and Vivian space offers, what gives you that morally virtuous profile to condemn? Likewise, when you have in your private space and time sourced, read and viewed such material, what gives you that morally high ground to promote such materials? There appears to be a paradox here and this is what many non-thinking people are missing. The Internet is here to define the new meanings to freedom, choice, democracy, accountability and engineer a new culture. It is here to take humanity to new experiences and understanding of all that encompasses life – thoughts, words and deeds. It is people like Alvin and Vivian who have become the 'new age' crusaders of thoughts and feelings, challenging our civilization's inventory of logic and emotions. Where it will eventually deposit society is as illusive as how the Internet is developing and how the networked society is emerging. But what is certain in this Alvin and Vivian saga is governments will be challenged; politicians will be tested; leaders will be tried in the public sphere; parents will be battered; religious leaders will be provoked and challenged – it is confrontation, a new conquest of humanity's thoughts and feelings. We are arriving on a new plateau where civilization will be pressured to re-visit and re-write its philosophies. In all likelihood, this will be a trajectory experience – humanity's abandoning of the Socrates, Aristotalian and Platonic philosophies that have long been the basis of many thoughts and actions. The use of draconian and antiquated laws to clip and clamp such ventures as those of the Alvin and Vivian saga will be run-over in time. We have arrived on to a new space and time where what is private is challenged on the public sphere and what is public is accessed on a private space and time. It is an emerging experience of humanity's freedom and choice. In fact this whole episode can be an immense learning opportunity for Malaysia's longest ruling political party too. So hopefully before any of our politicians attempt to open their mouth that often remains disengaged from thinking, better they think twice lah. This is timely advice given the fact that Malaysia is being overwhelmed with the political marshes entrenched around the LGBT prioprity, sex-and-video sagas, and not forgetting the Sodomy trials.
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