Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Sometimes I can’t understand Umno
- Apa sebab pergi cari pasal?
- Cina sudah kurang ajar! Dah lupa 13 Mei ke?
- Talk is cheap
- Siege mentality and conditioning of the mind
- Track them and mark them
- It’s in the genes
- To hell and back
- It’s only symbolic
- They are messing with our minds
| Sometimes I can’t understand Umno Posted: 25 Sep 2012 05:58 PM PDT Umno needs to walk the talk. If it wants to convince Malaysians that it is serious about reforms and that it respects the rights of Malaysians to free speech then Umno has to prove it. Talking alone is not enough. Unless you can demonstrate that you mean what you say then expect many voters to vote against you come the next general election. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin
I can't understand why Umno is making a big fuss regarding the foreign funding that Suaram, Bersih, Malaysiakini, and so on, are alleged to have received. Is it illegal for Malaysian organisations to receive money from overseas (or from local sources for that matter)? Organisations, especially NGOs, need donations and grants to survive. If not how would they operate? I myself donate monthly to the cancer research institute and the seeing-eye dogs for the blind NGO (http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/) here in the UK. They stand on street corners and go door-to-door to sign people up as monthly donors. In fact, the dog I have adopted is called 'Sparkle' and it is being loaned to a blind person for a payment of just one pound. Umno should demonstrate a bit of maturity and not treat everything as a political issue. Umno reminds me of the opposition supporters who question me as to where I get my funding from, as to who is sponsoring me, as to how I survive here in the UK, and whatnot. That is very childish -- raising issues that are a non-issue. Umno should not reduce itself to this level. The private jet that was loaned to the Pakatan Rakyat leaders is another issue that is silly. So a Malay businessman lent the opposition leaders the use of his jet -- or he paid the cost to rent a private jet. Is that wrong? The fact that the businessman does business in the Pakatan Rakyat ruled states should not be the excuse to turn this into an issue. You are just assuming that since this person is a businessman then there must be strings attached. That is malicious and mischievous. You are jumping to conclusions and are insinuating that one is considered guilty until proven innocent. Again, Umno is acting like those Pakatan Rakyat supporters who questioned me about my friend's yacht that I holidayed on in Phuket during the Christmas holidays last year. Actually, we had a meeting on that yacht and a few activists such as Haris Ibrahim also joined me a couple of days in Phuket. And that meeting was actually what resulted in me doing that NST interview on 1st January 2012. Another thing that Umno is being silly about is regarding Deputy Higher Education Minister Saifuddin Abdullah's statements. He has always demonstrated an independent spirit and has always spoken his mind. No doubt some of his statements and opinions may go against Barisan Nasional's 'party stand'. But then what Saifuddin said is very true and is mere coincidental that some of the things he says are what some people in Pakatan Rakyat are also saying. But just because what he says is sometimes also what those in the opposition say does not mean he is a traitor, Trojan horse, mole, or whatever. As the Deputy Higher Education Minister, what he says is very important because the youth are Malaysia's future. Hence it is very crucial that the youth are told the right things and who better to do that than the Deputy Education Minister himself, especially one from Umno? Umno, which has been in power for more than half a century, should know this and, therefore, should allow its ministers some degree of independence. Umno cannot always expect its leaders to just toe the party line. When it is right the leaders must be allowed to say it is right and if it is wrong to say it is wrong. Umno should prove to Malaysians that it is really interested in reforms and respects the rights of Malaysians to speak freely. Umno should not act like those in Pakatan Rakyat who are calling Nasharudin Mat Isa a Barisan Nasional agent, mole, Trojan horse, and whatnot, just because he speaks his mind and what he says does not go down well with the Pakatan Rakyat leaders. Umno should know that the days when you vilify someone for expressing an opinion opposite to yours is long gone. Maybe some in the opposition still do that but this is forgivable since Pakatan Rakyat has not ruled Malaysia for more than 50 years like Umno has. Hence, while the opposition can be excused for being less tolerant or matured, there is no excuse for Umno to also be like that. Umno needs to walk the talk. If it wants to convince Malaysians that it is serious about reforms and that it respects the rights of Malaysians to free speech then Umno has to prove it. Talking alone is not enough. Unless you can demonstrate that you mean what you say then expect many voters to vote against you come the next general election. That is all I wish to say to Umno. If Umno does not wish to listen that is their problem. Then expect the voters to show you what they think of your hypocrisy when they next go to the polls. And if the people vote against you don't get upset. You have only yourself to blame.
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| Posted: 21 Sep 2012 06:31 PM PDT You can find almost anything in this world if you go looking for it and if you know where to find them. There are even gay parties, wife-swapping parties, orgies, 'adult' entertainment centres, nudist colonies, singles resorts, etc. You name it; you can find it -- even sex with cows and goats if that is what turns you on. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Israel won't force Google to block anti-Muslim video Court rejects MK Talab el-Sana's petition to prevent the controversial film from being available to people in Israel via the Internet • Court: Those who may be offended by it should not look for it on the Internet. (Israel Hayom) - The Jerusalem District Court rejected a petition by MK Talab el-Sana (Ra'am-Ta'al) on Thursday requesting that the controversial film, 'Innocence of Muslims', produced in the U.S., be made inaccessible to people in Israel through the Internet. Judge Miriam Mizrahi decided to refrain from issuing an order to restrict access to the film through the YouTube website. El-Sana, together with other Israeli-Arab political and religious leaders, requested that the YouTube page featuring the film be shut down, or, alternatively, that the page be blocked from access throughout the country. Although the petitioners asked for an urgent hearing on the matter so that the court could issue a temporary order to prevent the film from being accessible on the Internet, Mizrahi said in her ruling that those who thought they would be offended by viewing the film should not search for it on the Internet. "Whoever does not look for the film will not find it, so the public who would be offended by the film can avoid seeing it," Mizrahi said. The court is scheduled to continue to discuss the matter on Oct. 15, after both sides submit their detailed legal explanations. The petitioners, through attorney Kais Nasser, claimed, "The movie is extremely offensive, desecrates the image of the Prophet Muhammad in a racist manner, tramples his sanctity and name, and offends the honour and faith of more than a billion Muslims throughout the world and more than a million Muslims who are citizens of Israel." ************************************** When my wife and I first moved into our new home in Manchester three years ago, on Saturdays and/or Sundays people from the local church would come knocking on our door to talk to us about Jesus Christ. Most times I would be in my office working so my wife goes to answer the door. My wife would stand there patiently as they spoke to her about Jesus. They would also invite her to the local church to meet the community. After their 'ceramah' they would leave pamphlets and booklets with her before they left. My wife would just place the material on the sideboard and later would dump them in the dustbin together with the other 'junk mail' that goes out with the Thursday rubbish collection. Different people would come at different times and sometimes they would ask what religion we profess. My wife would reply that we are Muslims and they were usually very pleased to hear that. This probably made their 'mission' more interesting and challenging. They don't come around that much nowadays, at least not weekly any longer like before. I suppose they have given up on us as a 'lost cause'. Nevertheless, my wife (and I as well whenever I happen to be the one answering the door) is never rude to these Christian evangelists. We always smile -- and maintain the smile throughout even when they stand on our doorstep for half an hour -- and politely give them our full attention. We never show that we are impatient for them to leave. We will allow them to finish what they want to say and leave when they are ready to leave. Until then we stand there and play the perfect host and make sure they are not uncomfortable about 'disturbing' us. I sometimes even flip though the pamphlets and booklets before I throw them into the dustbin. I feel guilty about throwing them away without reading them and therefore waste their effort and money in their attempt to convert us to the way of Christ. They left them so that we will read them -- so I do just that, I read them. Hence at least that part of their mission succeeds although they failed to get us to go to church. I just hope that at least that small effort of ours at being nice, hospitable and friendly managed to give these Christian evangelists the impression that not all Muslims run berserk and will foam at the mouth when you try to preach Christianity to them. I consider this my greatest jihad for Islam -- showing Christians that Muslims can be nice, hospitable and friendly. They never tried to tell us that Islam is bad or is the wrong religion. They just focused on talking about Christianity and to tell us that Jesus loves us and is our saviour and all that. They also tried to put across to us that they love us as well and is why they come to our door every week to talk to us. And I also showed them that I love them and appreciate the trouble they took to come to speak to us. I could, of course, have screamed at them to leave us alone. I could also have told them that we are Muslims and hence are not interested to hear what they have to say about Christianity or Christ. But that would be downright rude and unfriendly even though that would be within our rights to do so. After all, they are disturbing us very early on a Sunday or Saturday morning so I have every right to tell them off. At the very least I could have just not opened the door and after a while they would have gone away. But why disappoint them? Why make them feel like they have wasted their time? Why make them feel unwelcome by not opening the door when they clearly know we are at home? Make them feel welcome and let them go home happy that they managed to talk to a Muslim about Christianity and Christ. I know most Muslims reading this will be appalled. They would probably think that my imam (faith) is very weak. How can week after week I layan (entertain) Christian evangelists who are trying to convert me to Christianity? Well, I am not a 'regular' Muslim. If you can't accept me for what I am then that is your problem, not mine. You lead your life the way you want to lead your life and leave me to lead my life the way I want to. That is the long and short of it all. I want to now talk about that news item from Israel above. What the Israeli court said regarding that controversial movie is very sensible. "Those who may be offended by it should not look for it on the Internet. Whoever does not look for the film will not find it, so the public who would be offended by the film can avoid seeing it." You may have heard or read that there is a trailer of an anti-Islam movie on the Internet, YouTube in particular. But did they come to your door to give you a copy of that movie? Did they force you to sit down and watch that movie? Are you obligated to watch that movie? You heard or read about it. Then you went looking for it. And then you found it. After that you get angry and run berserk. Apa ni? Apa sebab pergi cari pasal? You go looking for it and then you get upset. There are many things out there. There are brothels and prostitutes (plus transvestites) walking on the streets and hanging around seedy back lanes and side alleys. There are massage parlours that throw in sex or a hand job/blow job for an extra fee. There are bars, pubs, clubs, etc., where you can go to get drunk plus to pick up girls, boys, lady boys and whatever may turn you on. There are casinos, gambling dens and gaming outlets where you can gamble. You can find almost anything in this world if you go looking for it and if you know where to find them. There are even gay parties, wife-swapping parties, orgies, 'adult' entertainment centres, nudist colonies, singles resorts, etc. You name it; you can find it -- even sex with cows and goats if that is what turns you on. So don't go looking for it. And if you go looking for it and find it, don't go and get upset about it. Now, if they come to your home and knock on your door to offer you these 'services', then by all means get upset. Scream, rant and rave if you want since they came to your home to disturb you. But even then, if they came to my home and knocked on my door I would not get upset. I would either politely refuse them, tell them not to disturb me again, or just not open my door. But I would not bother to run amok, even if they came to my door. And if they did not come to my door why the hell would I want to go and seek them out and then get upset? |
| Cina sudah kurang ajar! Dah lupa 13 Mei ke? Posted: 20 Sep 2012 03:43 PM PDT Cina sudah kurang ajar. Cina perlu diajar. Cina sudah lupa 13 Mei. Ini negara Melayu. Agama Malaysia ialah Islam. Sekiranya Cina tak boleh terima ini maka mereka boleh keluar dari Malaysia. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin "It appears like the opposition is not consistent with its stand regarding freedom of speech. When we say something they don't like they whack us. They call us all sorts of foul names. They call us a traitor and turncoat. They call us a Trojan horse." -- RPK. Whacking, calling foul name, and calling traitor/turncoat might be inflammatory, but they are still covered by freedom of expression under USA 1st Amendment and also re-affirmed by later ruling of US Supreme Court. Alas, we are not USA. Despite we are not USA, we should still appreciate how the freedom of expression can and have prevented monopoly of those in powerful position. How to prevent the over-concentration of power (i.e. the hallmark of dictator)? One of the answers is to protect the right of expression of every citizen; the right must include whacking, calling foul name, and other inflammatory remarks. The freedom of expression includes the right to say stupid things and being bias to "your team". It is that "pain" of freedom of expression that allows powerful counter-weight to those in power position. If we cannot take that "pain" or sacrifice, we can kiss goodbye to democracy. "I remember when Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim expressed his personal view and he was whacked kau-kau for that. Does not Tunku Aziz also have a right to his personal view just like Ngeh?" -- RPK. So is the right of those who whack Tunku Aziz kau-kau. We should stop confuse people about the right of freedom of expression. Whacking someone kau-kau might be bad manners and even politically stupid, but it has not violated the right of Tunku Aziz. I think I can understand RPK whacking DAP and Pakatan Rakyat asking them to behave. But, confusing people on what is freedom of expression is a great "sin" -- as far as nurturing nascent democracy is concerned. (Comment by Shiou in my article 'How the knife cuts both ways'). ************************************************* That was what Shiou commented in my article 'How the knife cuts both ways'. Basically, Shiou is of the opinion that freedom of expression means 'no holds barred', anything goes, there are no limits or boundaries to what one can say. Let's say I buy that. Let's say I go along with what Shiou says -- that freedom of expression means 'no holds barred', anything goes, there are no limits or boundaries to what one can say. But then, in the same breath, Shiou contradicts himself/herself and concludes that confusing people on what is freedom of expression is a great sin. If Shiou is a propagator of absolute freedom of expression with no limits or boundaries, then how can he/she infer that confusing people is a great sin? There are no sins under absolute freedom of expression, going by Shiou's argument. Would not whatever I say, even if it is my intention to confuse people, be my freedom of expression? How can Shiou regard a statement meant to confuse people as a great sin? There is no such thing as a sin as far as absolute freedom of expression goes. Everything is fair game -- even a lie, misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, distortions, innuendoes, and whatnot. All are kosher. They all come under freedom of expression if we use Shiou's interpretation of no limit to freedom of expression. Now look at this photograph. And then read the heading of my article: Cina sudah kurang ajar! Dah lupa 13 Mei ke? I am relating my heading to the photograph above. To Shiou, this Chinese chap is merely expressing himself under his right of freedom of expression by stepping on the photograph of the Prime Minister. I, too, am expressing myself under my right of freedom of expression by saying, "Cina sudah kurang ajar! Dah lupa 13 Mei ke?" Am I making a racist statement? Am I instigating racial hatred? Is what I am doing dangerous considering that racism in Malaysia has reached a dangerous level never seen before since May 1969? As far as I am concerned I am just applying Shiou's standards and yardstick of freedom of expression. Under your right of freedom of expression there should be no limits or boundary. Anything goes. Everything is kosher. And I do not see that Chinese chap who is stepping on the Prime Minister's photograph as him exercising his freedom of expression. I see it as Chinese arrogance and a challenge to the Malays (cabaran kepada Melayu). Hence I say: Cina sudah kurang ajar! Dah lupa 13 Mei ke? Maybe what I am doing is dangerous. Maybe what I am doing may trigger racial discord. It may even expose Malaysia to the danger of racial conflict and violence. But that is not important. What is important is that I am expressing my view under my right of freedom of expression. What I am doing may result in deaths, maybe even hundreds or thousands of deaths. But can we allow that possibility to stand in the way of freedom of expression? Cina sudah kurang ajar. Cina perlu diajar. Cina sudah lupa 13 Mei. Ini negara Melayu. Agama Malaysia ialah Islam. Sekiranya Cina tak boleh terima ini maka mereka boleh keluar dari Malaysia. Yes, that statement, too, is covered under my right of absolute freedom of expression. So how can you say it is malicious, seditious, vicious and mischievous? Under freedom of expression, as Shiou says, there are no limits. There are no boundaries. Everything goes. All is kosher. |
| Posted: 18 Sep 2012 04:33 PM PDT And what I mean is that while we talk about struggle and sacrifice in the interest of seeing change, very few are prepared to compromise and sacrifice for the sake of this change. Hence all this talk of struggle, sacrifice and change is mere idle talk that is going to lead to nowhere. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Kalau takut pada risiko, usah bicara tentang perjuangan. Kalau takut dipukul ombak, jangan berumah di tepi pantai. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. There is a reason why Muslims fast for 30 days during the month of Ramadhan. It is to teach, train and condition yourself to endure pain and suffering, resist temptation and lust, and to enter into a mental state of tolerance and patience. Many Muslims who seldom pray or do not pray at all would still fast. You rejoice when the month of Ramadhan arrives and you gladly deny your body its desires. In short, you abstain from worldly needs and distractions. Muslims also have to pray five times a day. And to be able to pray five times a day on a very rigid schedule means you must also have discipline. You must also live with inconvenience because no matter whether you are travelling on a journey or locked in a meeting you must always find the time to pray, even when it is not really convenient to do so. Even if you are sick in bed you will wake up to pray and then go back to sleep. Hence facing and tolerating inconvenience is a daily routine for you and you endure it not with a sigh of regret but with a willing heart and joy. You look forward to your prayers, as you do your fasting. Humans have needs and urges. Humans have passion and emotion. Humans suffer thirst and hunger. Humans suffer vanity, ego, anger, lust, fear, envy, greed, jealousy, and much more. But all these need to be suppressed. There are only two things you are allowed to feel: patience and tolerance. Everything else need to be set aside. Considering that these are the objectives and ideals of fasting and praying five times a day, those who comply to these tenets or rituals should have been taught, trained and conditioned to become marvellous human beings. If by the time you are, say, 30, and you have been praying five times a day and fasting for 30 days every year since you were in standard one, you would have been programmed to smile under duress and under any provocative situation. This, however, does not appear to be so. In spite of all that training, Muslims still have a very short fuse and will fly off the handle at the slightest provocation. They will become very violent and will easily resort to physical action when rubbed the wrong way, however mild that provocation may be. Muslims give the impression that they are a time bomb just waiting to explode. This is the greatest contradiction you will find in Muslims. Their lips would constantly utter words such as berjaung (struggle), korban (sacrifice), sabar (patience cum tolerance), etc. But it is only lip service. It is not something in their hearts. It makes you wonder whether their prayers and fasting have done any good. Would they have been better off smoking marijuana and doing meditation? At least those who do would preach love, tolerance and peace although they may not believe in Allah or Prophet Muhammad. The 'turn the other cheek' doctrine is nonexistent for most Muslims. They do not even practice the concept of 'an eye for an eye'. It is more like 'your whole head for an eye' dogma. Hence we are seeing the violent reaction all over the world at what Muslims perceive as an insult to Prophet Muhammad. The irony of this whole thing is that those who are punished are not really the culprits. We punish other people for something someone else did. If an Indonesian robs us in Bangsar we bomb Jakarta although that particular Indonesian who robbed us may be living in Petaling Jaya. Malays/Muslims are not the only ones who demonstrate hypocrisy, though. Chinese, Indians, natives of East Malaysia, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, etc., are also the same. They talk about struggle and sacrifice. But struggle and sacrifice are what they expect others to do. They themselves would not do all this. They understand that struggle and sacrifice work hand-in-glove. One can't exist without the other. But are they prepared to endure one for the sake of the other? Very few Malaysians would although they accuse others of violating this basic principle of the cause. Okay, we want change. We want to see the end of Barisan Nasional rule. We want to see a new government. And we want Pakatan Rakyat to be that new government. I can buy that. I have no problems with that. I am prepared to struggle for that. I am even prepared to sacrifice for that. But are you? Are you people who are screaming and shouting about change prepared to also struggle and sacrifice to see this change happen? Or do you want others to do the struggling and sacrificing so that you can be spared this inconvenience? Actually, the majority of you are all talk. Mere hot air. Very few of you are prepared to struggle and sacrifice. You talk about struggle and sacrifice, no doubt. But you talk about it in the context of what you expect others to do, not what you are prepared to do. And most of you will deny this. And you will get very angry if I were to suggest this. You are noble and sincere and how dare I accuse you otherwise? But most of you are actually a load of bullshit. And to make matters worse you do not even realise you are a load of bullshit. So you are noble and sincere, are you? You are prepared to struggle and sacrifice, are you? You want to see change, do you? Well, let's see. Are the Malays prepared to drop the Islamic State and Hudud agenda in favour of a Secular State for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat? Are the non-Malays prepared to embrace the Islamic State and Hudud agenda for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat? Are the Chinese prepared to drop their Chinese school and mother-tongue education agenda in favour of national schools for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat? Are the Indians prepared to drop their Hindu agenda for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat? Are the East Malaysians prepared to drop the 18/20-Point Agreements and accept federalisation for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat? Are the Malays prepared to drop the New Economic Policy in favour of meritocracy for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat? Are the non-Malays prepared to embrace the New Economic Policy for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat? Are the Malays prepared to drop the Monarchy in favour of a Republic for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat? Are the Malays prepared to accept a woman or non-Malay Prime Minister for the sake of change if that is the only way to kick out Barisan Nasional and replace it with Pakatan Rakyat? Rest assured the above are but a few examples. My list can go on and on if you wish to include the rights of gays, conversion of Muslims to other religions, Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia, English as the language of the Federation, and so much more. But I trust even these few examples demonstrate what I mean. And what I mean is that while we talk about struggle and sacrifice in the interest of seeing change, very few are prepared to compromise and sacrifice for the sake of this change. Hence all this talk of struggle, sacrifice and change is mere idle talk that is going to lead to nowhere. And you got the bloody cheek to scream at me for not being true to the cause and for refusing to join the fight for change? How can you expect me to join a group that comprise of a whole bunch of hypocrites? |
| Siege mentality and conditioning of the mind Posted: 16 Sep 2012 05:03 PM PDT Unless we stop indoctrinating or brainwashing Muslim children we are never going to solve the problem. Muslims will always view any act as an attack against Islam that requires a hostile and violent response. When you train dogs to attack they will attack. When you train children, who are more intelligent than dogs, that violence is the only legitimate and appropriate response against the 'enemies of Islam', then expect that to happen. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin
Tantawi, motivasi dan akhlak perjuangan Hidup di landasan perjuangan Islam ini tidak mudah. Hakikatnya, tiada siapa kata perjuangan Islam ini mudah. Dengan berbekalkan ketaqwaan dan keimanan pada Allah, ramai yang cuba menempuh perjuangan ini. Namun, tanpa ketaqwaan dan keimanan kepada Allah yang kuat beserta kemahiran memotivasikan diri sendiri, ramai yang tersungkur. Ramai yang menarik diri di pertengahan jalan. Ramai yang terpengaruh dengan kesenangan duniawi, dan mengatakan kepada diri sendiri, ada orang lain yang bakal meneruskan perjuangan ini. Ada pula yang menggunakan jalan terpesong untuk memperjuangkan agama Allah, yang akhirnya bukan dia saja yang tersungkur malah Islam terpalit dengan nama buruk akibat "perjuangan" beliau. Ada ramai yang menyatakan mereka sedang memperjuangkan Islam. Namun, apabila ditanya apakah perjuangan Islam? Jawapan yang didengari cukup berbeza. (READ MORE HERE) **************************************** Nasrudin Hassan at Tantawi, the PAS youth leader, has just launched his new book called 'Catatan Seorang Pejuang' -- translated to 'Notes (or Diary) of a Fighter (or Warrior)'. The subtitle for that book is: 'No one said the Islamic struggle (or fight) is easy'. Have you noticed that Muslims like using the word pejuang, berjuang or perjuangan together with the word Islam? Where you find the word Islam you will find the word pejuang, berjuang or perjuangan. Perjuangan or berjuang means war, battle, struggle, fight, skirmish, scuffle, tussle, resist, wrestle, grapple, strive, labour, strain, toil, fight back, etc. Basically, it is a word that implies offence, not defence. This is very important to note in trying to understand the mindset of Muslims -- Malays included, of course. Islam is seen as something that requires some sort of fighting or conflict. You can't be a Muslim unless you are prepared to enter into a conflict or engage in a struggle or fight. Muslim kids learn the term perjuangan Islam long before they learn what Birkin handbags means. In fact, some Muslims like me learned what Birkin handbags (made by Hermès) meant only by the time we were past 60. But at six we already knew about perjuangan Islam. Muslims are indoctrinated and conditioned at a very early, impressionable and tender age that Islam equates to conflict. They develop a siege mentality and are made to believe that Islam is consistently under attack and hence every Muslim needs to be a soldier -- just like every Christian was a 'soldier of Christ' 500 years or more ago. In short, Muslims are perpetually on 'war mode'. And this is because they have been brainwashed into believing that Islam is 'at war'. Hence any criticism (or perceived insult) of Islam is seen as an act of war. And any act of war requires a hostile and physical response. Hence, also, any retaliation involving violence is seen as a legitimate and appropriate response. When you train dogs to attack in response to just one word, 'attack', these highly trained dogs would attack when commanded to do so. Even animals can be conditioned to take someone's life at a mere one-word command. What would you expect, therefore, from more intelligent mammals that have been trained for 20 or 30 years that we are at war and that our religion is under siege and when under attack we need to retaliate? The fact that the PAS youth leader writes a book with such a title gives you a pretty good idea about what flows through his mind. (To be fair, though, I have not yet read the contents of the book so I am 'judging the book by the cover', so to speak). Nevertheless, the title of the book reflects the conditioning or indoctrination that the writer has received. And books such as these will in turn condition or indoctrinate other Muslims. Hence we will have a whole Muslim community (Ummah) that builds its foundation of Islamic values on the basis that Islam is perpetually on war mode and every act is perceived as a coordinated conspiracy against Islam. It is, therefore, very difficult to find Muslims who are 'cool' about what they perceive as a criticism of Islam (I emphasis the word 'perceive'). Muslims are always 'hot'. In fact, every criticism, never mind how mild, is perceived as an insult. And even if you criticise the conduct of Muslims it is seen as a criticism of the religion itself and of the Prophet Muhammad. Nasrudin Hassan at Tantawi is the PAS youth leader. And he is the PAS youth leader because there are many party members who support him. If not he would not be able to become the party youth leader. That means there are many more people who think like him. If not they would not have voted for him. Hence Nasrudin Hassan at Tantawi is not alone or in the minority. And the fact that his book is being well received is further proof that many others think just like him. Unless we stop indoctrinating or brainwashing Muslim children we are never going to solve the problem. Muslims will always view any act as an attack against Islam that requires a hostile and violent response. When you train dogs to attack they will attack. When you train children, who are more intelligent than dogs, that violence is the only legitimate and appropriate response against the 'enemies of Islam', then expect that to happen. Now, after writing this article, do you really think I can still go back to Malaysia?
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| Posted: 15 Sep 2012 05:20 PM PDT Some of you less-religious people might not comprehend why the government needs to go through all this trouble of detecting LGBTs. Well, the answer is simple, really. The Bible tells us stories of how God destroyed LGBTs. Hence if we follow the Bible then we too must destroy LGBTs. And Muslims also follow what the Bible says. In fact, quite a bit of what is in the Bible is also in the Qur'an. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin
Psychologists slam guidelines to track LGBT as being harmful (The Star) - The so-called guidelines to help parents and teachers track lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) symptoms in their children have stereotyped the group, experts and psychologists here said. Consultant paediatrician Dr Sim Joo Seng said the sexuality of a person may not be established until late puberty. "Giving guidelines to teachers who are untrained to do so is a dangerous move." "Even trained psychologists and adolescent psychiatrists have to assess properly when dealing with sexual problems," he said, commenting on the guidelines that were distributed at a parental seminar in Penang on Thursday. The guidelines, among others, cautioned parents about their sons wearing tight V-neck shirts and bright coloured attire and their daughters being frequently seen in the company of certain girls while ignoring others. Dr Sim said the guidelines stereotyped the LGBT community and could lead to bigger problems such as discrimination and intimidation. Clinical psychologist Sylvester Lim likened the guidelines to "a ridiculous attempt" to describe the LGBT community without any supporting research. The Congress of Teaching Services in National Education (Kongres), however, has come out in support of the guidelines as "these help teachers to solve problems of youths with LGBT tendencies". Congress president Jemale Paiman said: "LGBT is not suitable for our Malaysian culture and we want to help those who have this problem." ******************************************* Hell, I just love sleeveless T-shirts. I also love tight Lycra shorts, when I run or cycle, of course -- because they prevent sores, which later turn septic. I also love bright colours, especially my Polo shirts. "So, do you think I'm gay?" I asked my wife. "I suspect you are a lesbian," my wife told me. "Lesbian? But I am a man." "You love women, right?" "Well…yes…" I replied cautiously, wondering whether I was about to walk into a trap with my 'confession'. "Well, lesbians love women. So that makes you a lesbian." Hmm…that makes sense. That's sort of 'Malaysian thinking' type of logic. Since you are not happy with Pakatan Rakyat then that makes you a Barisan Nasional supporter. It cannot be any other way. But what if you are not happy with BOTH Pakatan Rakyat and Basisan Nasional? That cannot be. You can only be unhappy with one of them. If you are not happy with one of them then you must be a supporter of the other. Yes, very logical thinking indeed. So if I am not happy with Muslims killing United States Ambassadors about a movie that the US Ambassador was not involved with then that makes me a Christian. Okay, so the Malaysian government regard LGBTs as the scum of society and the government is going to try to detect children with LGBT tendencies. And why do we want to detect LGBTs at this very early age? Simple. If we can track them then we can mark them. Tracking them is one thing, though. But how do we mark them? I mean it is pointless to track them if we do not mark them. So how do we mark them after tracking them? I suppose the government will come out with a workable system soon. Maybe we can brand them like cattle. Some of you less-religious people might not comprehend why the government needs to go through all this trouble of detecting LGBTs. Well, the answer is simple, really. The Bible tells us stories of how God destroyed LGBTs. Hence if we follow the Bible then we too must destroy LGBTs. And Muslims also follow what the Bible says. In fact, quite a bit of what is in the Bible is also in the Qur'an. Hence tracking and marking LGBTs, in fact, destroying LGBTs, is what God did and what God wants us to do. So we are doing God's work by declaring war on LGBTs. I know, I know, some of you 'thinking people' are now going to argue that if God hates LGBTs so much then why did He create them? Hey, if you start talking like that then we can also ask the Jews if only the Jews are the 'chosen people' then why did God not create everyone as Jews? How come the Jews are the minority while the Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc., far outnumber the Jews? So those types of question do not make sense. Just accept the fact that god hates all non-Jews and LGBTs and that is why God created more non-Jews and LGBTs than straight Jews. Hence, with that spirit as the backdrop, let us hunt down LGBTs, detect them, and mark them. Then, once we have completed that exercise, we can up the ante by tracking down and marking the rest of the scourge of society. If it is not that difficult to track down children with LGBT tendencies, it is also not that difficult to track down children with other unnatural and evil tendencies. I mean God not only hates LGBTs. God also hates straight people who indulge in sex outside marriage, adulterers, corrupted people, murderers, people who abuse their power, swindlers, robbers, cheats, thieves, liars, and so on. These people are equally hated just like LGBTs. So children who have the tendency to one day grow up to become these types of people need to be detected at that early age while they are still at school. It is good that finally we are getting rid of LGBTs. They pervert and corrupt society. And so do straight people who indulge in sex outside marriage, adulterers, corrupted people, murderers, people who abuse their power, swindlers, robbers, cheats, thieves, liars, and so on. All these people need to be detected or tracked at an early age before they become a problem and then we mark them so that everyone will know who they are and what they are.
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| Posted: 14 Sep 2012 05:36 PM PDT So, as I said, this is not just a Muslim thing. Even half-drunk Indian-Hindu very, very clever lawyers also think and do things exactly like what those outraged Muslims are doing all over the world. Sama-sama bodoh mah! Muslim ke, Christian ke, Hindu ke, Buddhist ke, semua sama-sama bodoh! NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Anti-Islam film protests spread to Sydney (AFP) -- Hundreds of protesters clashed with police in Sydney on Saturday, as a wave of unrest against a film that mocks Islam spread to Australia, with bottles and shoes hurled outside the US consulate. Furious protests targeting symbols of US influence flared in cities across the Muslim world on Friday in retaliation for a crude film made in the United States by a right-wing Christian group that ridicules the Prophet Mohammed. At least six protesters died in Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon and Sudan as police there battled to defend American missions from mobs of stone-throwers, and Washington deployed US Marines to protect its embassies in Libya and Yemen. In Sydney, Saturday shoppers looked on in surprise as protesters, including children, shouted "Down, down USA" and waved banners such as "Behead all those who insult the prophet". "We are sick and tired of everyone mocking our beloved prophet," protester Houda Dib told AFP, as the crowd of about 500 gathered outside the US consulate. "They have no right to mock our prophet. We don't go around mocking anyone's religion." "They call us the terrorists," protester Sarah Jacob said. "But everyone is terrorising our people." Demonstrators were pushed back from the steps outside the consulate by police, provoking anger among some in the crowd, many of whom had brought their children with them. "They were aggravating the situation by pushing our brothers," Dib said. "This is supposed to be a peaceful protest." The protesters later moved to nearby Hyde Park, where one speaker called for calm, saying the aim of their protest had been to send a message. "We are here for the sake of our god," he said. "The message is clear, you cannot mock (the prophet)." ****************************************** Yes, the Muslims are outraged. From Australia to Rusila (PAS President Tok Guru Abdul Hadi Awang's hometown) Muslims are rising up in anger because of that movie that allegedly insults Prophet Muhammad. They say the movie is called 'Innocence of Muslims'. I don't really know what that movie is about because I have not seen it yet. In fact, not a single Muslim from amongst those thousands of outraged Muslims all over the world has seen that movie either. They just heard about this movie and they also heard that the movie is insulting to Prophet Muhammad. Should they not wait first until the movie is released and then go and see it before coming to a conclusion whether the movie really is insulting to Prophet Muhammad or not? I doubt that can happen. Not a single Muslim would be prepared to go see that movie. In fact, they will not even allow the movie to be screened. And if any cinema defies this ban and tries to show the movie that cinema would most likely be firebombed with a Molotov cocktail or someone like that. I mean, how many of you, Muslim or non-Muslim, would dare go to the cinema to see that movie, even it were allowed to be shown, and face the risk of that cinema being bombed with you trapped inside it? I am sure even if they offer you free entry you will still not want to go anywhere near that cinema, let alone go inside it. You may think that Muslims all over the world are stupid. You may think that this is déjà vu of Salman Rushdie's 'The Satanic Verses'. Remember when Muslims all over the world were outraged and a death sentence was passed on Salman Rushdie? However, again, not a single outraged Muslim had actually read that book. So how do they know that that book is insulting to Prophet Muhammad? Well, they heard people say. So, based on what people say, action must be taken. People must be killed. Buildings must be burned. Muslims must demonstrate their outrage. It make Muslims sound stupid, don't you think so? They foam at the mouth and burn and kill based on what they hear, not based on what they witnessed. Only stupid people would foam at the mouth and get outraged to the point of madness because of the rumours they heard whereas they have not actually witnessed it themselves to confirm whether the story is true or not. Actually, not only Muslims are like this. Most people, non-Muslims included, are the same. And Malaysians are sometimes worse than those from the other countries. Take my case as an example. I too have been condemned like there is no tomorrow based on what people heard. Take my TV3 interview as a case in point. The majority of those who condemn me had not actually seen the TV3 news. In fact, they boycott TV3 and refuse to watch the news on that station. So how do they know what I said in that interview? Well, they heard certain people say. In fact, these people who are saying it also did not watch TV3. They read on the Internet that so-and-so read in Utusan Malaysia that TV3 said so-and-so and I was alleged to have said that. In short, a Pakatan Rakyat Blog said that Utusan Malaysia said that TV3 said that Raja Petra Kamarudin said that…… Yes, that was how it went. And we are not talking about outraged and stupid Muslims here. We are talking about very clever and highly educated Chinese, Indians, Christians, Hindus and Buddhists who reacted because a Pakatan Rakyat Blog said that Utusan Malaysia said that TV3 said that Raja Petra Kamarudin said that…… Let me relate a story about a lawyer friend of mine meeting another lawyer friend of his at the Selangor Club, both Indians. The second lawyer was whacking me and my lawyer friend tried to explain what really happened. But this second Indian lawyer went on and on about how I had done a U-turn. My lawyer friend got so pissed he asked this second lawyer whether he had read my Statutory Declaration and the other Indian bugger replied that he refuses to read it. So there you have it. He had not read my Statutory Declaration and he absolutely refuses to read it. However, a Pakatan Rakyat Blog said that Utusan Malaysia said that TV3 said that Raja Petra Kamarudin said that……and that is good enough for him. So, as I said, this is not just a Muslim thing. Even half-drunk Indian-Hindu very, very clever lawyers also think and do things exactly like what those outraged Muslims are doing all over the world. Sama-sama bodoh mah! Muslim ke, Christian ke, Hindu ke, Buddhist ke, semua sama-sama bodoh! Yes, I know, I have read some of your comments regarding the demonstrations by Muslims all over the world. And your comments are about how stupid Muslims are. In fact, some of those comments are so downright nasty that I have had to delete them. If I wanted to hurt Pakatan Rakyat all I needed to do was to allow those comments. Then we can see the Malays punish Pakatan Rakyat come the next election. I mean, you cannot post such nasty and arrogant comments and not expect retaliation. Yes, I know, I know, freedom of speech means you have the right to insult Malays, Muslims and Islam. But if I were to say you are stupid for believing in 'hell money' and for believing that white ang pows during Chinese New Year bring bad luck you will scream that I am an insensitive racist. I suppose this explains why you people regard Barisan Nasional people who join Pakatan Rakyat as patriots while the Pakatan Rakyat people who join Barisan Nasional are traitors. |
| Posted: 12 Sep 2012 03:59 PM PDT The perpetrator who sent Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Chua Tee Yong the 'hell' notes is finally arrested and is put on trial. This is the second day of the hearing and Chua has taken to stand to testify. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Police report lodged over hell notes (Bernama) -- Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Chua Tee Yong has lodged a police report after receiving a letter containing four pieces of 'hell' notes and a Chinese newspaper cutting. The MCA Young Professionals Bureau chief said the newspaper cutting, among others, touched on his challenge to debate with Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim on the Talam Corporation Bhd (Talam) debt restructuring. He believed the 'hell' notes, each supposedly worth 'eight billion', was a warning to him not to pursue the debate," he told reporters after lodging a report at the Putrajaya police headquarters here today. Earlier, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek had also received two pieces of 'hell' notes with a newspaper cutting. ************************************************* Yang Berhormat, can you please look at the copy of this police report and confirm that this is the police report you made on 12th September 2012 and that that is your signature on the police report. Yes, I confirm. So, Yang Berhormat, you reported that some unknown person or persons had sent you four hell notes with a total 'value' of RM32 billion. Yes. But why did you make the police report? Because they sent me those hell notes. I know they allegedly sent you the hell notes. But why did you make a police report? What is so wrong with sending you hell notes? What is the crime here? Ah…in Chinese culture it is very insulting and offensive to send a live person hell notes. So you feel insulted or offended that they sent you hell notes because you are not dead yet. If you were dead then you would welcome these hell notes. You would not feel insulted or offended. Ah…well…yes. Has it harmed you in any way? I don't understand. Has this caused you bodily harm or financial loss? Ah…no. So it only affected your feelings? Yes. Is it a criminal offense to hurt someone's feelings? Yes. So if I don't invite you for my daughter's wedding and I hurt your feelings I can be sent to jail? Ah...no. So where is the criminal offense in sending you hell notes other than the person hurt your feelings? Hurting someone's feelings is wrong. So, sending you hell notes hurt your feelings and it is a criminal offense to hurt your feelings. Okay, how do you know that these are hell notes? Ah…I recognise them. Yes, but how do you know that they are hell notes? Is the word 'hell' printed on these notes? Ah…no. So the word 'hell' is not printed on the notes that were sent to you but you recognised them as hell notes? Yes. Was not the word 'Diyu' printed on these notes that you have referred to as hell notes? Yes. And does not 'Diyu' mean 'underground prison' or 'underground court'? Ah…yes. So there is nothing to show that the notes you received are hell notes. In fact, what is printed on these notes is 'underground prison' or 'underground court' and not 'hell'. Ah…yes…but… Okay, Yang Berhormat, do you believe in hell? Yes. Are you a Christian? No. You are not a Christian but you believe in hell? Yes. But is not hell a Christian concept? In Chinese culture, there is no such thing as hell. The concept of hell was introduced to China by the Christian missionaries a few hundred years ago whereas Chinese civilisation goes back 5,000 years, or 3,000 years before Christianity. Is this not correct? So there is no such thing as hell in Chinese beliefs. I am not sure. In fact, according to Chinese beliefs, when you die you get sent to the Earthly Court where the Lord of the Earthly Court will judge you and then, according to what the court rules, you will either be sent to heaven or to a maze of underground chambers where you serve your sentence for the sins you have committed. Hence hell does not exist. Correct? I suppose so. Hence, also, since hell does not exist, then hell notes also cannot exist. Ah… And since hell notes do not exist and you made a police report alleging that someone had sent you hell notes I put it to you that you have made a false police report and thus should face charges for this crime. How can like that…. Yang Arif, I call upon the court to drop the charges against my client since the complainant has made a false police report against my client alleging that my client offended him by sending him hell notes whereas hell does not exist in Chinese beliefs and hence hell notes also cannot possibly exist and the complainant cannot be offended by something that is non-existent. |
| Posted: 11 Sep 2012 04:16 PM PDT We tend to get too uptight too easily. We should relax a bit and not take life too seriously. It is good that people resort to symbolism rather than carry guns and bombs. I mean, burning Qur'ans, burning flags, keris-kissing, stepping on photographs, dragging cow heads and pig heads, etc., hurt no one. No symbolic act hurts anyone for that matter. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Before that, I just want to inform you not to send any more money meant for Nurul Izzah Anwar's election fund to the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) bank account in London. The Committee is not too happy about it and is concerned that MCLM may suffer the same fate as Suaram. So far, slightly over RM1,100 has come in from four people and that money will be redirected to the Ahli Parlimen Lembah Pantai account. But let that be all. No more please. With regards to the plan to set up a Pakatan Rakyat election fund, if you can remember, I mentioned that I was going to speak to a lawyer to set up a Board of Trustees to handle this. Unfortunately, probably after they saw what happened to Suaram, no one dares get involved. I had planned to get about 3-5 professionals such as lawyers and accountants to set up a Board of Trustees and then open a bank account where you can send your donations to -- to be called the Pakatan Rakyat Election Fund. Of course, for purposes of transparency and accountability -- what we are asking Barisan Nasional and Umno to do -- we would have to publicise who these people are so that members of the public will know that their donations will not be abused or misused. No one dares lend his/her name to this exercise, though. If their names are kept confidential and can remain a secret, they have no problems getting involved. But if their names are going to be made public, then they would rather not get involved. However, for purposes of transparency and accountability, we cannot keep the names of the Board of Trustees a secret. Or else how will the donors know that their donations are safe? Well, I did try. I thought if we could raise some money for Pakatan Rakyat this would help in the election effort. I suppose most would rather secretly donate in cash with no records to link it back to them. Hence, if you still wish to donate anything, then go seek out your favourite political party or wakil rakyat yourself and just give them cash. Now, today I want to talk about Malaysians getting very upset with symbolism. I am, of course, referring to the recent Merdeka celebration where one girl stepped on the photograph of Malaysia's Prime Minister and the young chap who took off his pants to 'show his naked bum' to the Prime Minister while the enthusiastic crowd cheered them on and applauded. Actually, the Prime Minister should step in and direct the police to drop this case. Why arrest, handcuff and charge these kids? They did not actually (physically) step on anyone's face. What they did is an act of symbolism and we should not get upset with symbolic acts. Tolerating acts of symbolism would be a demonstration of maturity and surely Malaysians are matured enough to allow acts of symbolism without getting upset about them. Look at some of the photographs below. Umno Youth has done the keris-kissing ritual many times. I am sure the Chinese view this as merely a symbolic act and not something that they should get upset about. I am confident that the Chinese are cool with this keris-kissing ritual and would not vote opposition just because of this. Then there was the cow head protest in front of the Selangor State Secretariat building. Again, the Indians/Hindus are able to accept this as merely a symbolic act and not something to lose any sleep over. I am sure the Indians/Hindus just laughed it off and never gave it a second thought. If you can see below that, many Muslims all over the world have done the United States flag-burning protest. The government allowed it. These flag-burning protestors were not shot with tear gas or arrested. Everyone took it as merely a symbolic act. Even America did not get upset or send a protest note to these governments. Then we had the pig's head protest in front of a mosque in France, which you can see below. Two pigs' heads were placed in front of the mosque, not in the mosque, so no harm done. This was just like the cow head protest in front of the Selangor State Secretariat building, a mere symbolic act, which the Malaysian government did not consider a serious act. Then there were the Qur'an burning and Qur'an in the toilet protests. Again, this was only a symbolic act and no harm done. These people were just exercising their right to protest and their right to freedom of expression. After all, the Qur'an is just a book like any other book, so why get upset? As a matured society, we should allow freedom of expression and freedom to protest. We should not get upset with symbolic acts. I mean, if Muslims drag cow heads, non-Muslims can always drag pig heads. If Christians burn Qur'ans and put them in toilets, Muslims can always do the same with Bibles. We should actually treat all this light-heartedly. Just laugh it off. Maybe you can also do the same in a tit-for-tat move. No one who is matured is going to get angry. They might even enjoy it and regard it as fun. We tend to get too uptight too easily. We should relax a bit and not take life too seriously. It is good that people resort to symbolism rather than carry guns and bombs. I mean, burning Qur'ans, burning flags, keris-kissing, stepping on photographs, dragging cow heads and pig heads, etc., hurt no one. No symbolic act hurts anyone for that matter. |
| They are messing with our minds Posted: 09 Sep 2012 07:00 PM PDT Committing suicide was the last thing on our minds back then. Our minds were not messed up like the minds of today's kids. Okay, maybe we were a bit messed up because we could not decide in what order of priority it was supposed to be -- bikes, booze and broads or bikes, broads and booze. But we did not allow details to stand in the way of fun. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin One million people commit suicide each year: WHO (AFP) - One million people die by their own hand each year, accounting for more deaths than wars and murders put together, the World Health Organisation said yesterday, calling for urgent action to address the problem. "Data from the WHO indicate that approximately one million people worldwide die by suicide each year. This corresponds to one death by suicide every 40 seconds," the organisation said in a report launched ahead of the World Suicide Prevention Day on Monday. And while the number of deaths by suicide is staggering, the number of attempts each year is 20 times higher, the WHO said, pointing out that five percent of people in the world try to kill themselves at least once during their lifetime. And the problem is getting worse, the organisation said, insisting that "given the magnitude of the public health problem of suicidal behaviours", urgent action was needed. "As suicide is largely preventable, it is imperative that governments, through their health, social and other relevant sectors, invest human and financial resources in suicide prevention," the report said. According to Dr. Shekhar Saxena, who headed the team behind the report, suicide rates have risen sharply in some parts of the world in recent years, with some countries seeing their rates jump by as much as 60 percent. "Although suicide continues to remain a serious problem in high-income countries, it is the low- and middle-income countries that bear the larger part of the global suicide burden," the report said, adding: "It is also these countries that are relatively less equipped to prevent suicide". The highest documented suicide rates can be found in Eastern European countries like Lithuania and Russia, while they are lowest in Latin America, WHO said. The United States, Western European countries and Asia fell in the middle of the range, the report showed, but stressed that statistics are not available for many countries in Africa and South-East Asia. Globally, suicide is meanwhile the second cause of death worldwide among 15-19 year-olds, with at least 100,000 adolescents killing themselves each year, according to the study. Among adults, the suicide rate is highest among those aged 75 and older, the WHO said, pointing out that "elderly people are likely to have higher suicide intent and use more lethal methods than younger people, and they are less likely to survive the physical consequences of an attempt". The report also showed that men were three times more likely to commit suicide, but that three times as many women as men attempted to kill themselves. "The disparity in suicide rates has been partly explained by the use of more lethal means and the experience of more aggression and higher intent to die, when suicidal, in men than women," it explained. *********************************************
Latin America has the lowest suicide rate in the world, maybe because they like to party One million people a year or one person every 40 seconds commits suicide all over the world. "Although suicide continues to remain a serious problem in high-income countries, it is the low- and middle-income countries that bear the larger part of the global suicide burden," said the report. "Globally, suicide is meanwhile the second cause of death worldwide among 15-19 year-olds, with at least 100,000 adolescents killing themselves each year, according to the study," said the news report above, which represents 10% of those who commit suicide So there you have it. These people are too young to have sex (they are not matured enough to make the decision whether to have sex of not) but they are not too young to commit suicide. But why do people commit suicide, especially teenagers who have not even started their life yet? I suppose it is because they are not happy. And since they are not happy they no longer want to live. Isn't 15 or 16 a bit too young to not be happy? When I was that age I was happy like hell. Every day was party day, as far as I was concerned. And we lived for today. We did not care a damn about tomorrow. Why are the kids of today not like how we were when we were their age? I suppose, in our days, we did not have any pressure. Everyone was a friend, not like today where you have Malay friends, Chinese friends, Indian friends, etc. You were just a friend, period, so there was not much pressure placed on us to compartmentalise ourselves into racial, religious or social blocks. Then we never worried about our future. Every day is today. Tomorrow also becomes today when the sun rises the following morning. Hence who cares about tomorrow? Tomorrow never comes. Nowadays, there is no today. Everything is about tomorrow. We don't live for today. We plan and prepare for tomorrow. I suppose grass helped a lot as well. In our days, grass was not considered a drug and hence was not illegal. Even policeman would join us for a smoke. And sometimes the policemen would dip into their own pocket and pull out some grass for us to 'roll'. Man, in those days we kids did not have any problems with the policemen like the kids of nowadays. The policemen were our friends and our smoking 'kakis'. Some of them even came around with their squad cars to join us in Benteng for Teh Tarik and a smoke. Committing suicide was the last thing on our minds back then. Our minds were not messed up like the minds of today's kids. Okay, maybe we were a bit messed up because we could not decide in what order of priority it was supposed to be -- bikes, booze and broads or bikes, broads and booze. But we did not allow details to stand in the way of fun. So what happened? What changed in those 45 years since we were kids who lived for today and did not care a damn about tomorrow? Why do kids today commit suicide when in our days a good 'watermelon' was to die for but only in a figure of speech sort of way? (By the way, for those of you who do not know what 'watermelon' means, too bad. For those who do, maybe you can take a trip down memory lane with the video below). Anyway, sometimes I wonder whether the fault could be because we replaced grass with religion and that is why so many people are unhappy and end up committing suicide. Well, as Bob Marley said, "Don't worry, be happy." But we will have to start by getting rid of those people who keep telling us that we are going to go to hell if we don't listen to them. oenlU0KiILc SEE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oenlU0KiILc |
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