How should we judge a government?

In Malaysia, if you don't watch television or read newspapers, you are uninformed; but if you do, you are misinformed!

"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing." - Malcolm X

Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience - Mark Twain

Why we should be against censorship in a court of law: Publicity is the very soul of justice … it keeps the judge himself, while trying, under trial. - Jeremy Bentham

"Our government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no
responsibility at the other. " - Ronald Reagan

Government fed by the people

Government fed by the people

Career options

Career options
I suggest government... because nobody has ever been caught.

Corruption so prevalent it affects English language?

Corruption so prevalent it affects English language?
Corruption is so prevalent it affects English language?

When there's too much dirt...

When there's too much dirt...
We need better tools... to cover up mega corruptions.

Prevent bullying now!

Prevent bullying now!
If you're not going to speak up, how is the world supposed to know you exist? “Orang boleh pandai setinggi langit, tapi selama ia tidak menulis, ia akan hilang di dalam masyarakat dan dari sejarah.” - Ananta Prameodya Toer (Your intellect may soar to the sky but if you do not write, you will be lost from society and to history.)

Monday, May 18, 2009

9,999 PHDs in Penang?

The other day I saw this Alphard with a PHD registration and I wondered how many people actually waited for these registration letters at the time. It is nice to just imagine there are 9,999 PhD holders issued by JPJ (Road Transport Department) with some in other parts of the country.

There are a number of honorary holders of PhD and the quickest route for those rich enough was to run or take over a university college with ties with a foreign university able to confer one. I am not sure if they are supposed to use Dr. so and so, or just mention (Dr.) to differentiate.

With local awards by Rulers, some people value JPs more than Datuks because the former actually required not only literacy, but the ability to act as a second class magistrate. There were some complaints about Datuks who are unable to speak proper Malay which gave rise to Lat’s cartoon showing someone who has just been awarded exclaiming, “Gua lapat latok! Gua lapat latok”. To those foreign readers, what he was supposed to say was, “Saya sudah dapat Datuk” which means, “I have received Datukship (award)”. ‘Gua’ is actually Hokien dialect for ‘Saya’ or ‘I’ and the Chinese written language can only use the characters, La Tuk and not Dah Tuk, which explains why his spouse is known as ‘Lah Tin’ and not ‘Dah Tin’.

Now, we have young and beautiful women being awarded datukship, namely, Datuk Michelle Yeoh, the former Miss Malaysia and well known actress who acted in a James Bond film, Datuk Siti Nulhalizah the much acclaimed local singer, and Datuk Nicol David, the world squash champion. To the locals, the main problem is ‘datuk’ can also mean ‘grandfather’, so it is inevitable that each time we tend to think Grandfather Michelle Yeoh!

There are some people who like to use the title Senator so and so, simply because most people the world over know the importance of being a senator, made famous by people like Senator Edward Kennedy. Our local senators are a docile and quiet lot in comparison.

If you are a politician with the ruling Barisan Nasional, you would be nominated by your party and awarded by the Sultan (state) or Agong (national) with titles like Datuk, Datuk Seri or Tan Sri or even Tun when you are retire from being President of a party.

Lesser party leaders would be awarded Datukship after having served a term or two as State Assemblyman or Member of Parliament. For those in the opposition, it is mainly because they are not likely to be awarded or more like rewarded because of political divide, but also because most like Lim Kit Siang find it inappropriate… maybe later, like the late Tan Sri Dr. Tan Chee Khoon, who actually had to soul-searched himself before receiving his Tan Sri from the Agong then, the Sultan of Pahang.

For BN division and branch leaders, they are likely to be awarded more than once with titles like datukship, KMN, AMN and so on. Many people joke about ‘you’re likely to hit a Datuk if you threw a stone in a crowd’! Perhaps, we are just being ‘sour grapes’!

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